Hera's Task or (The Legend of Luke Castellan)
by The 5h15 Spaceman
Summary: Luke Castellan, without knowing anything, is thrust back into the world to stop Gaea. He and his rag tag group, Connor, Drew and Coach Hedge, travel to Camp Jupiter and join forces with the seven. first person POV. Luke/Jason Bromance. Thaluke. Short Reyna Luke ship.
1. Chapter 1 - Bad Beginnings

_**Part 1**_

 _ **Chapter 1**_

 _ **Bad Beginnings**_

I woke up in the middle of a field. Gods, my head hurt worse than after that one party with the Ares kids. When they weren't trying kill you, the children of Ares were throwing wicked parties. I tried to think about what I did right before conking out in this field, but nothing came to mind. Then a vague memory of some fireplace started to take shape in my head. Oh Gods, I was dead. Hell and everything.

"Watch out."

I jumped up and turned my head towards what I thought to be a minotaur. Only, it wasn't charging me, it was slithering. I put my hand on my pocket, only to find that I had an iPhone. I wasn't sure why I had one. _Turn it on_ urged a voice in my head. I expected it to be Kronos, but it wasn't.

I pressed the home button, and out sprang Backbiter. But before I could do anything, the bull was right in front of me. I jumped out of its path, but unlike a minotaur it snaked around, and grabbed my foot in its massive hand and dangled me upside down.

Unless I wanted to impale myself, I had to drop my sword. I heard a sickening crunch as the bull squeezed my leg. The pain made me sick to my stomach.

Right then, an arrow whizzed past me and struck the bull in its arm. It straightened up and roared, breaking the silence. The bull dropped me, giving me enough time to grab Backbiter, but my thoughts were clouded by pain.

I managed to dodge the bull and slice through its belly. The beast collapsed to the ground, and so did I.

I felt like passing out, and there was nothing stopping me from doing so. As I started to close my eyes, I could see this girl dragging me towards a fence line. It was Camp Half-blood's barrier. Then, everything went black.

 **# # #**

I started to dream about being in Tartarus. There was the feeling of absolute hopelessness as I looked into the darkness. It was terrifying to say the least.

 _Did you like my gift? a_ voice called out from the pit. It was Kronos's voice.

"What do you want?" I asked.

It laughed, shaking the ground where I stood, saying _I sent the Ophiotaurus to help you, servant!_ The ground shook again, but not from him. I heard thunder.

 _If you had known, like a competent person, then you could have burned its entrails._

"Why? I'm not really looking to barbecue a snake," I said, not really thinking.

 _You lost the last chance to redeem yourself and kill the Gods._

It dawned on me that I was trying to destroy the Western world, but the rage was gone. I didn't feel the revenge I'd been fueled by.

"No, now leave me be, Kronos. I won't help you."

It must have really been raining outside because I could hear the thunder cracking against the sky.

"Why don't you like barbecue?"

I opened my eyes. Thalia was sitting next to my bedside as the rain pounded outside the med pavilion.

"Why are you here?"

"Because I wanted to see you," she said cheerily, far more cheerily than I thought possible.

"What—What's going on? Why am I here?" I croaked.

She smiled and held my hand. "There's been a lot going on since you passed out."

"Wait, did I die?

She nodded.

"Is this like a second chance? Can I change?"

"Of course you can."

This all felt weird, and I was getting a headache. I sat up in the bed, but I almost collapsed from weakness.

"Why is it raining? We're in Camp Half-Blood, right?"

Thalia grew pale, and sadness filled her eyes. The storm raged on harder. "Because none of this is real," she said.

This time, I really did wake up. It was raining, just not inside the camp. Instead of Thalia was Clarisse. You know the movies where the wounded hero is cared for by the benevolent woman? This was not that movie. I wished Clarisse was part of the dream, but I was really awake.

I almost said something rude, but I knew better than to in my condition. "Why am I alive?" I asked, not intending for it to sound philosophical or anything.

"I've been asking that whole time you were unconscious."

I moaned as I stretched my arms. "How long have I been out?"

"Almost two days. Today, you started to mumble things that didn't make any sense."

Clarisse handed me a glass of nectar that I sipped slowly. It tasted like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, which put the bitter thought of my mother in my mind. I didn't feel like finishing it even though I hadn't drunk much. I handed it back to Clarisse. She smirked.

"Something got you down?"

"Yeah, a lot of things, actually." I looked away from her gaze. "What happened to everyone?"

"After the war, we put the camp back together. Things for the most part fell into place. The only problem is the Gigantes—" She stopped like she shouldn't have told me this.

"What about the Gigantes?"

"Someone will tell you sooner or later. I don't want you freaking out right now."

"Never mind then. Clarisse, I'm asking about the people whom I hurt." I adjusted myself—hopefully inconspicuously—and said, "I know I really messed up."

She laughed humorlessly before saying, " _Messed up_ is an understatement. So many of my friends, family—they're all gone. You know, a lot of your own brothers died fighting."

They were actually half brothers, but I still felt bad. I looked down at the sheets again. I felt like throwing up. Actually, I did.

To Clarisse's surprise, I jumped out of bed and crawled over to a basin and puked. Once I had finished, Clarisse helped me up, though she had a hard time supporting my weight. I could have walked, but she wouldn't let me.

"See, I shouldn't have told you anything," she grumbled as she got me back on the bed. "You're one of those stress vomiters."

I shook my head and drained a glass of water that was by my bedside. "Could you get me some crutches? I need to talk to Chiron."

"You're still weak."

I managed a smile. "Since when did you care?"

She sighed and grabbed something from a closet. "You might want to put some clothes on first. She threw me a pair of jeans and a camp tee shirt. I put on the shirt and struggled to get the jeans on. "Mind looking away?"

.

On my way to the Big House, a lot of people stopped and stared, but no one said anything. I kept my head down and kept walking. There were only a few campers that I recognized. Chiron waited on the front porch, drinking an iced tea. Mr. D. was there too.

"I wondered when you'd wake up or die, Luke Castellan," Mr. D. said over his cards.

I did my best to bow to Chiron, and ignore Mr. D.

"Hello Luke," Chiron said.

I went to say something, but I couldn't. I just wasn't sure what I should be asking. Why am I even here? What happened?

"You realize everything you've done?"

I only nodded.

"You unleashed Kronos, helped kill hundreds of campers, including your friends, and caused a series of events that have yet to conclude."

"I know. I betrayed everyone."

To my surprise, he put his hand on my shoulder. "But you also sacrificed yourself to save Olympus."

"Chiron, why aren't I dead?"

"As I said, there are some damages that haven't been remedied yet. Kronos's, or should I say Gaea's, army is capturing Gods. Thanatos was one of them. Without him, the passages out of the underworld are unguarded. Someone must have brought you back to the mortal world."

"Why would anyone do that?"

Chiron shook his head and stamped his hooves. "I do not know. Strange things have been happening lately. Percy Jackson and Jason Grace were abducted several months ago without any memory and sent to opposite camps."

I almost forgot about Percy.

"So whoever's doing this is trying to mess with us?" Clarisse elbowed me in the side.

"Seems so. Greeks and Romans have never been on good terms, but the tensions become unbearable."

"So, is someone doing something about it?"

"We sent several people to handle the situation. I imagine that you're wondering what's going to happen to you. You'll be staying back at the Hermes Cabin."

Sure, change the subject.

I couldn't tell you how awkward it was to go back to my old cabin because I'd betrayed them. Also, being twenty-one made things weird. Travis and Connor were surprisingly nice to me. Everyone else glared. I had no idea what to do. I didn't blame them for hating me, but I wasn't exactly to the point of self-loathing that I welcomed it.

At dinner, I sat alone for the most part, hardly eating. Some kid sat next to me. I think his name was Thomas. He was really small, like a fourth grader with a pimply teen's face.

"Are you really him?"

I slammed down a Pepsi. "Yeah, I'm a living legend," I said bitterly.

"I'm waiting for my dad to claim me. Maybe I'll go to one of the new cabins."

"What new cabins?"

"For the minor gods. Percy Jackson made a deal with the Gods that they'd claim every one of their children because of what happened."

"No wonder the Hermes Cabin was sorta empty."

"Well, I have to go."

He went off and sat back with the other younger campers.

I knew that I had led a pointless rebellion. I wanted better treatment of the demigods, but I wasn't really thinking realistically, and my solution wasn't even a solution. It was a way to get Kronos into power. I was glad that Percy got demigods better treatment, and that what I did wasn't an entire waste. I just wished that I could have slowed down and realized that there were better ways to go about things. Rebellion doesn't always achieve everything.

Once I was finished, I took a walk. Clarisse was near the edge of the forest, so I joined her.

"Hey."

"Leave me alone, Luke."

"You sure you want to be out here alone? I heard some weird stuff's been happening."

Clarisse motioned towards a scabbard with a large knife in it. It was new, from one of her brothers, if I remembered correctly.

"Hey, did you hear that?" she asked, stopping.

I replied, "Hear what?"

Clarisse shook her head. "Nothing, just nerves. Things haven't been normal since—well, you know."

We continued on for some time. "Hey, do you know who shot that arrow at the Ophiotaurus?"

Clarisse stopped again. "Nobody was there, Luke. We saw the burning monster and assumed that you killed it and dragged yourself over the line before passing out."

"No, I didn't." I got a sickening feeling, but I didn't vomit. "You said that the body was burning?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Before I woke, I had a dream with Kronos. He said something about me having to burn the Ophiotaurus. It's supposed to give you the power to defeat Gods."

"Is there a risk with Kronos?"

I shrugged. "I'm just saying, Kronos wanted me to light up crime-against-nature, and somebody did. That seems kind of concerning."

"Luke, do you have your sword on you?"

"Yeah." I took out my new phone that I still didn't trust entirely. Mortal objects were always _dangerous_.

"Why do you have that?" she

I pressed the home button and my sword appeared in place of the contraband item.

"Luke, why do you still have _that_?" she asked, pointing at Backbiter.

"It appeared in my pocket, when I was about to get attacked. Some voice in my head told me to use it. I don't think it's bad."

"Hearing voices is a bad thing."

It was at that moment, Chris and another camper I didn't remember jogged up. There was something strange going on because their eyes were golden. Clarisse didn't notice.

"Hi, Chris, Will," she said.

"Hello, Clarisse," Chris replied back in his own voice.

Maybe I was paranoid. They seemed normal enough, and Clarisse would have known if there was something wrong. She said goodbye to them and kissed Chris.

"Jealous, Luke?"

I shook my head. "Are Chris's eyes usually gold?"

"You're seeing things."

I was about to say _no_ when Clarisse grabbed my arm and pulled me down. An arrow shot past where my head had just been. Will was standing with another arrow notched. Without thinking, I grabbed Clarisse's sword and flung it at his bow, breaking it in half.

"Nice going, idiot. Now he has a sword."

I rolled my eyes before charging at Will. I sliced at his arm, trying not to mortally wound him before hitting him in the head with the hilt of my sword. He fell to the ground. Chris was harder to get since we were more evenly matched. I parried his attack and tried to jab him. Instead, Chris's arm came straight down on mine, slicing in and making the red flow. I cried out and stepped back.

"Now would be a good time."

I kicked the second sword back towards Clarisse before refocusing on Chris. He dodged me easily and jabbed again. "Shit, do something."

"I don't want to hurt him."

"That's right, child. Don't hurt your precious meat puppet," Chris said.

"What are you?" Clarisse yelled.

"You don't need to know. By then, our brothers will turn the Romans against you."

Chris laughed in a cold shrill way before raising his sword to strike. Right at that moment, a satyr came up behind him. He wound up his club and winked at me before whacking Chris in the back of the head. Chris fell down the ground with a thud.

"Thanks, Coach Hedge," said Clarisse.

"Yeah, thanks."

Coach Hedge took the putrid smelling cigar out of his mouth and said with disgust: "Those are Eidolons, and I assume that they were looking for you." He pointed his cigar at me. "They might transfer into another body soon. Grab one and we'll take them to the infirmary."

I picked up Will and the old goat carried Chris to the medical pavilion. On the way back, we neared archery range.

"Chiron," I called out. He came bounding out, bow still in hand.

"What happened?"

"Eidolons are here," Coach Hedge said.

"Hang on, explain that again?"

Chiron sighed. "They are disembodied spirits sent here by Gaea. She must want you dead."

Clarisse and I let the two walk ahead of us and talk privately.

"Thanks for not hurting Chris."

"No problem. He was the one hurting me."

Clarisse pulled out a canteen of nectar. I shifted Will onto one side of my shoulder and took a swig before handing it back to Clarisse.

Later that night, all the camp counselors were called to the Big House. Connor and Travis occupied my old spot where there used to be a decent Tommy Bahama beach chair. Now there were two beat up, nylon, folding chairs. I assumed this about my appearance.

Butch said the first thing: "Why do we care if Kronos's army tries to kill this traitor?"

"I didn't ask to come back to life," I spat back.

"Careful, Luke, Butch," Chiron scolded. "We're not only here to talk about Luke's predicament. We have knowledge of Gaea's plans to foil the negotiations with Reyna."

"So what do we do?" Pollux asked.

"I think we need to go down there with another convoy," suggested Katie. "Since they might not believe us through an Iris message."

"I think we need Luke since Gaea wants him dead," said Clarisse.

"Well, who should go then?" Chiron asked.

"Someone who knows their way to Camp Jupiter," someone else suggested.

No one said anything.

"I know my way there. I recouped at Camp Jupiter after my failed quest," I said since no one else spoke up.

Will said, "I hate to say it, but if Luke knows, then he should go, and so should Connor."

"Why me?" Connor asked.

"Because you're the competent twin, and we'll still have another twin with us."

"Fair enough, now we just need a third," said Chiron.

I expected Clarisse to volunteer without hesitation. Instead, Drew stepped forward. "I should go. If a fight breaks out, I could stop it in seconds with my charm speak."

I didn't know how I felt about this. I thought that this was going to be an actual convoy, not a goof and Drew.

"Fine," I said.

"But what if he really is a traitor?" Pollux asked.

He didn't have to refer to me as _he_ , but I didn't say anything because I would have said the same thing if I were in any of the counselors' positions.

Chiron intervened. "I trust Luke to carry out this mission."

I doubted that Chiron liked this plan at all, but I didn't think anyone had any other options.

* * *

 **Authors Note** : Thanks for reading. If you want to check out my own fiction, my medium account is Alison Lilla. I'm currently working to publish a novel called _The Stoner Idiot_ , a coming of age novel. If you're interested in funding this novel, check out my link here: help-publish-novel-thestoner-idiot

2016: Reviews are still welcome and greatly appreciated.


	2. Chapter 2 -I Meet My Lookalike

_**Chapter 2**_

 ** _I Meet My Twin Named Octavian_**

The next morning, I woke up sore from sleeping on a cot. As I groped around for my shirt, I knocked over a bowl of water. Connor looked over.

"Come on, hand in a bowl?" I asked. He couldn't have been this immature.

He shrugged and pointed to Travis, who was still asleep.

I threw a couple shirts into a backpack and left the cabin. Drew was already out there, and she looked frustrated.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"I just don't like getting up early."

"It's only six o' clock."

"I got up at four to pack and get dressed."

All I had on was a sailing shirt from when I was in the field and a pair of jeans. Good enough for me.

Connor came out with what looked to be a hiking pack.

"We're only going to be gone for a few days," I said.

I sniffed the air. There was that stench again. Coach Hedge was behind me, glaring with his beady, little, goat eyes.

"We're good, Coach," I said with as much politeness I could muster.

"No, you're not. Anything that is not of a quest or personal nature requires a guardian. Besides, from what I saw yesterday, you wouldn't last long without me, cupcake, nor would Little Miss Muffet."

I sighed. "Alright, let's just get on the bus."

It was a two-hour walk to the bus stop.

Hedge and Travis were up ahead talking while I trailed back with Drew.

"So, what's it like being alive?" Drew said, flashing a brilliant smile.

"I don't know, Drew. It sucks and I don't understand what's going on."

I just wanted to think, but Drew was making that hard by hitting on me. I loved daughters of Aphrodite as much as any guy, but I just couldn't stand Drew. She wasn't just shallow but unaware of anyone's suffering.

When we got on the bus, Connor and I sat in front of Hedge and Drew. I started to fall asleep with my head on the window. It didn't last long because Connor woke me up. "Hey, Luke."

"What?" I mumbled.

"You're not going to get possessed by Kronos, right?"

"Listen, I was going to talk to you about that. If anything goes wrong, I want you to stop me, alright?"

"Yeah, of course, I would. Hey, what was it like coming from the Underworld?"

"I don't know. All I remember was waking up outside of Camp Half-Blood."

"And you defeated that monster?"

I shook my head.

"I'm almost entirely sure that somebody else was there."

"Like who?"

"Dunno, someone who knew how to shoot a bow well."

I looked towards the side of me. There was a man in a tracksuit with gold eyes.

I whispered to Connor, "There's an Eidolon."

"What should we do?"

"Wait," I said. I started to scrawl out a note that looked like complete gibberish since I was dyslexic and on a moving bus. I got up and handed the note to Coach Hedge before going to the bathroom. I actually did have to go, and if we going to fight, I wasn't going to do it with a full bladder.

On my way back, a girl got up and headed towards the bathroom. She was really pretty. I was about to let her pass when she said: "Don't you remember me, Luke?"

My brain was still running at half speed, so it took a moment to realize who this girl was. "It's an Empousa," I called out to Coach Hedge.

Kelli shifted into her true form and snarled at me.

"Get that phone out of your pocket, kid," Coach Hedge shouted.

I grabbed Backbiter and opened Backbiter. Kelli shrunk away to my surprise.

"Look behind you."

A possessed mortal slid an umbrella in front of my throat and pulled me back. My sword dropped to the ground near a passenger. I could hardly breathe. I looked toward the front of the bus where Connor had tackled an old lady, Drew was taking down the man in the track suit, and Coach Hedge was warding off others with his bat.

Kelli bent down near my face. "You rejected my advances, Luke."

"So? You killed a guy."

I tried to reach for my sword without Kelly noticing.

"I really did like you. Do you even know what an honor that was?"

I shook my head.

Kelli got dangerously close to me and knelt down, holding onto one seat for support. I tried to pull away, but she only smiled. "You were right, I wanted your blood."

She opened her mouth, which was filled with sharp teeth, and started to come in for the kill.

I closed my eyes. I didn't want to die again, not like this. I finally felt the hilt of my sword and plunged my sword through Kelli. She crumbled into ashes. I didn't want to hurt the guy holding me down, so I head-butted him, knocking him into an empty seat in back.

I ran forward to help. Luckily, none of the other passengers noticed anything. I pulled the man in the track suit off Drew, and the two of us took the old lady off of Connor and back to her seat.

"Quick, let's get out of here."

I told the bus driver that we needed to get off, but he only said, "Kid, we don't do emergency stops."

"Look, sir," I started.

Drew pushed me aside. "Hon, we're in a rush, can you drop us off at that hotel over there?"

The bus driver drove straight to the main entrance and helped us carry our bags. I'm sure the rest of the passengers were mad.

"Why are we here?" I asked Drew.

"Because, it's eleven at night. We were on a bus for over fifteen hours."

"Oh." I hardly noticed the time go by.

"Well, you can check in with the concierge, Mrs. Tanaka," I said, gesturing towards the front desk.

I left Coach Hedge and her to sit on a couch in the lobby. We were in one of those nice hotels like the Hilton, so there were a lot of people walking around and eating in the bar. I closed my eyes, started to tune out all the people and slowly drifted asleep.

"Wake up, Luke," Coach Hedge said less gruff than usual, kind of like a father.

I followed them towards the elevator. Lucky for us, no one was inside, but I was still cautious. Drew pressed the button for the fourth floor. The elevator lurched up. I was getting sick again. Finally we got to our floor with no stops. I rushed out.

"So how are we doing this?" I asked.

"Well, Daddy would have noticed any charges over five hundred dollars. So I got two rooms that are connected to each other."

"Great, I'll be bunking with Connor."

She shook her head. "No, Coach Hedges is with Connor."

Coach Hedge proclaimed, "I snore and eat whatever's around me when I'm stressed."

The four of us split up into the two rooms. I'm pretty sure that this was the nicest hotel room I'd even been in. It seemed pretty safe, maybe even monster resistant. I put my backpack on a shelf and took off my shoes before collapsing on the bed.

I turned towards Drew and said, "Thanks for getting this room."

"It's no problem, Luke."

She sat down on the other bed and turned on the t.v., but I wasn't paying enough attention to know what was on. I hadn't seen a T.V. in quite a few years. Kronos had me running around doing crazy things since I was seventeen. I wondered if Kronos had actually given up on me or was still attached.

"Most quests aren't like this, are they?" Drew asked seriously.

I laughed. "I wish they were like this, but no. Usually, we'd be trudging through a forest or walking through the city like beggars."

"I'm not really cut out for quests."

"Why did you want to go on one?"

Drew sighed and turned towards me, her eyes full of contemplation. "There was this demigod, Piper McLean, who took my role as camp counselor."

I sat up in my bed. "I thought you were the camp counselor."

She shook her head mournfully. "No, I lost the charm-speak challenge, and I'd never been on a mission."

"How come I haven't seen Piper?"

"She's with Percy trying to reason with the Romans. In fact, a bunch of these new demigods waltzed in and became camp counselors," she said bitterly.

"I remember becoming a camp counselor. It was like getting hazed. I don't get why they're getting younger, but in truth, you wouldn't have made a good deal, right?"

I wished I hadn't said that, but it was the ADHD. I couldn't monitor everything I said, especially when I was tired.

Drew groaned and threw her head back on the pillow. "Why are you even alive?"

"I don't know. I'm sorry, Drew."

This situation reminded me of when I was with Thalia and Annabeth. I opened my big mouth and complained about how ridiculous Thalia was being and got mad at her for chasing that stupid goat. I went insane and started screaming at her. By the time I'd calmed down, Thalia had left with Annabeth. I had to change what I was doing this time around.

"Drew, I'm sorry." I got up and sat next to her on her bed. "I didn't mean it. I'm so sorry," I repeated.

"Luke, just go."

I got off of her bed. "I'm going to the pool."

It wasn't my best decision, but I took my room key and a pair of trunks. Luckily, no one was in the pool when I got there. I got in and did some laps. The pool was just as nice as the rest of the hotel. It was heated and had saltwater instead of chlorine but I didn't find that important at the moment, since I was in a bad mood.

 _Luke_. I could have sworn that I heard someone say my name. I waited a moment, but no one came. It was probably in my head since I was feeling so guilty about everything. Hell, I could hear Beckendorf and Silena in my head. I felt worse thinking about all the consequences of my actions.

I swam until I was exhausted. Then I stopped and laid on my back in the water. I still couldn't shake my guilt, so I flipped back over and swam some more.

 _Luke!_ I looked around for whoever was calling me, but no one was there.

"Who are you?"

 _That is not important._ The voice was coming from the water. It was a sort of burble, not really a person's voice. I sat on the ledge that jutted from the side of the pool. _Get to Camp Jupiter now. It's not safe to stay. Use the sky if you must!_

"Thanks."

I jumped out of the pool and changed after toweling off. Part of me wondered if it was a trick, but I knew we shouldn't stay here long, anyway. I ran back up to my room and woke Drew.

"What is it?" she asked.

"We need to get out of here."

"Why do you smell like the _ocean_?"

"The pool was saltwater. Get the guys up, we're leaving, now."

I started to pack up my things. "We're going to get plane tickets to the Bay Area. You're going to have to use your charm-speak to get them."

I threw on my backpack and rushed Drew into the other room. "Pack up, we're leaving."

Connor looked at his watch and yawned. "It's only two o' clock."

"I know," I said, "but we need to keep moving."

Coach Hedge put Connor's empty Pepsi cans in his satchel. "No, Luke's right. The pretty life is not for the hero, that means you guys."ut

I had to shove Drew and Connor out the door so that we could get going. "Sign out with the concierge," I instructed Drew.

"You like that word, don't you?"

"Yeah," I admitted. "Now get going."

When Drew came outside, I hailed a taxi and we all squeezed in. "Hi, we need to get to Dayton International," I said.

"We are in Ohio?" Connor asked.

"I can't wait to get out of here," complained Drew.

"Secretly, you love Ohio, Drew," I said.

Surprisingly, I was in a good enough mood that I was goofing around. Unfortunately, being in an airport killed that entirely. TSA was a pain. I thought that they were going to give Coach Hedge a full cavity search because of all the tin cans he had eaten, but the mist got them to think that he had a metal spine implant.

While Drew got tickets, I took Connor and Coach Hedge to the cafeteria to get some food. They had already snacked along the way, but I hadn't eaten since the night before. I ate almost eight of those dollar hamburgers and a large cola. I'm sure I'd regret doing that once we got in the air. Drew came over with a satisfied look on her face until she saw the wrappers on the table.

"Did all three of you eat those?"

Connor shook his head. "No, I split a meatball sub with Coach."

"Gods, Luke. You'll get fat."

"No," I corrected her, "I almost killed myself swimming, and I haven't eaten since the night I came around. This should cover me for two more nights."

"The plane is scheduled to leave at three o' clock, but it's probably going to be late."

I looked at my watch, which had a huge crack running down the side—kind of like my face—and said: "Well, we have ten minutes then." 

I didn't even want to talk about the plane ride. Connor did the smart thing and took some sleeping pills before the plane ride. I had to put up with his snoring and occasional outbursts, which I had to smother whenever the flight attendant would come by. He murmured things from threats against the Aphrodite Cabin to this show called _Breaking Bad_.

I got bored and decided to use my phone for the first time. I never had one before, but I was pretty good with things to do with the Internet. The funny thing about this phone was that it had unlimited memory, a subscription to everything, and a firewall against monsters. I knew this had to be from Dad.

I put on a pair of headphones and watched _Breaking Bad_ on Netflix. I started to wonder why I was getting treated well by the Gods. I mean, Poseidon gave me advice. Gods, I don't even know if I'm supposed to be here. If someone snuck me out, then I'll most likely be put back in Hell later.

When we got down in San Jose, we head off on foot towards the East Bay. It was early in the morning, so there was some light to guide us through the city of San Francisco until we came to the service tunnel. It smelled awful for the first few minutes, but I got over the smell. I don't think Drew did.

I walked ahead of them, feeling alone. Even when I was around them, I felt alone. At least to my knowledge, Drew was a careless person and Connor was a goof.

Connor sped up on the trail to catch up with me. He slowed down and put his hands in his pockets. "Hey, Luke. You never told any of us what happened on your quest."

I hesitated to say something. "No, I guess I didn't. A lot more things happened than I'd said a while ago."

"Like what? I thought you just got attacked by Ladon."

I shook my head. "No, it was supposed to go down like that, but there were two Romans going on the same quest as me."

"Isn't there a rule of three?" Connor asked. He flipped his hair out of his eyes.

"There were originally three, but by the time they were where I was at, one had died. The two of them were a little older than me, and far more experienced; Aesop and Penelope, I think." I took a deep breathe. "I befriended them after I saved Aesop from a pack of harpies. When we got to the tree, Penny and I were supposed to distract Ladon, and Aesop would get the apple."

I continued, "Aesop died when Ladon smashed him into the tree. I was supposed to get the apples after that, but Penelope got knocked out, and I grabbed her before Ladon could eat her."

"So that's why you're bitter?"

"No, it gets worse. I got Penelope far enough away from the monsters and tried to take care of her until she came around. When she woke up, she was angry that I didn't bring Aesop's body back. She was pretty pissed off. She tried to fight me, but I wouldn't fight her back."

I pointed towards my eye. "I got this scar from her, not Ladon, but I didn't tell anyone about the whole incident."

Connor said quietly, "That's not fair. You weren't even trying to chose, you were just saving her life."

"Yeah, I guess. The only thing going through my head then was guilt. After a while I started to wonder why would the Gods put us through all this suffering."

"What happened to her?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. I followed her back to Camp Jupiter where I got cared for, but I couldn't find Penelope once I got out of the hospital."

"Well, I don't think it was your fault that Aesop died. Hey, I think I see the camp up ahead," Connor said.

He was right. We had reached a large field with with several hills and buildings. "Welcome to Camp Jupiter," I said sarcastically.

The four of us walked on until we came to a stone road leading towards what looked like a city, a temple, and a garden. "Which way?" asked Coach Hedge.

"Anywhere that there's food," said Connor.

"We're here for business, not food." To my surprise, Drew lead us to the temples. "We're going to find someone important as soon as possible."

As I got closer, I could see the temple better. It was circular with gold gilded details and statues of the Gods. Annabeth would have enjoyed being here. Back at Camp Half-Blood, we didn't have anything like this.

There was some kid, or guy standing in the center. He had what looked to be a dagger and a teddy bear. Definitely wasn't creepy at all.

"Hello, we're from the Camp Half-Blood. We have important news," Drew announced.

He didn't turn around and kept staring at this glowing object on a pedestal. I half expected his head to twist back like out of the _Exorcist_.

"Pretty boy, turn your head around," Coach Hedge shouted.

Finally, the kid turned around. He was sickly looking and I hated to admit it, but he resembled me. That made me feel weird.

He shouted something in Latin too fast for me to understand since I wasn't very fluent. It sounded like _intruders_ or _undergarments_ , but it was probably intruders, unless he scared himself that badly.

Several men in armor came out from nowhere and corralled us in with spears and swords. One of them got a little too close for comfort. "Listen, whoever you are, we're not trying to hurt you," I said.

"How can I trust you, Luke Castellan, or the Greek demigods. All of you helped Gaea."

"Only Luke helped Gaea," Coach Hedge mumbled, "I'm an innocent goat."

The kid nodded to one of the guards and before I could stop him, the butt of his sword came crashing down on my head. I fell to the ground, but I wasn't out. I could see the three being carried away by the other guards. I tried to stand up, but the kid kicked me in the jaw. I fell back to the ground and passed out.


	3. Chapter 3 - We Fail at Our Quest

_**Chapter 3**_

 _ **We Fail at Our** **Sort-Of-But-Not-Really Quest**_

After a series of dream involving shouting and slurs against the Greeks, I came around with drool covering the side of my face. It wasn't a pretty way to wake up, but I was glad that I did.

"Oh, Gods," I mumbled as I sat up. I was in some sort of prison cell and it was night time. There was a pitcher of water and a glass on a ledge. I didn't bother using the glass and drank straight from the pitcher. It felt good since I was so thirsty.

"Such an animal," someone commented from the darkness.

I put the pitcher down. "Who are you?"

The same kid as before and two others stepped out of the shadows. "I'm Octavian, Centurion of the First Cohort."

"I'm not here to attack you, ya know. I'm trying to warn you guys. What day is it anyway?"

"June twenty fourth, but soon to be the twenty fifth." Octavian came closer. "I don't believe you're trying to warn me, Servant of Kronos."

I used to get pissed off when people called me _son of Hermes_ , but now I'd rather take that instead of _servant of Kronos_ , and not just because I was being called a servant. It was a reminder of what I did to everyone.

"Octavian, or whoever you are, I'm telling you that Gaea is planning something big when the Greeks land," I pleaded.

One of the guards whispered something in Octavian's ear. Octavian only laughed and said, "Oh, I'm sure of something like that. Luke, I'm giving you one more chance to tell me why you're really here. If you don't—well, we'll find a way."

"God damn it! Listen to me." I got up and stumbled towards Octavian. "I'm telling the truth. We came here to stop something from happening. I don't even know a simpler way to say it—" One of the guards poked me in the chest with his spear. It was like Clarisse's, except more painful. I fell onto my back convulsing. Gods, it hurt.

"If you get hostile, Larry's here." Like what? I was going to cower because of a guy named _Larry_.

"Make this easy on yourself and tell me why you're really here," Octavian said.

I didn't even bother saying it again. It was like telling someone in a coma that they were in a coma.

Some of the guards began to laugh as Larry's spear started to wander where it shouldn't have been. Then I got zapped again without warning. I cried out in surprise.

"That's for Marcus," he spat.

I'm not going to describe what happened to me, and believe me, you don't really want to know. All I'm going to say is that it sucked.

.

At one point, Octavian stopped and left the room with both guards. I thought it would be a good time to escape, but this girl with two metal greyhounds came in. She looked a little tired, but not enough that I could rush her.

I didn't bother trying to get up, mostly because I was all numb.

"So, you're Luke Castellan? I'm Reyna. "

I didn't say anything.

"You're not as powerful as I thought you'd be. Sick, Luke?" she taunted, "I heard that you wouldn't tell Octavian anything."

Then she got serious and said: "I want you to know that I am the Praetor which means that I'll do anything to protect my camp, Luke Castellan." I just looked down at the ground. "Are you not speaking to me because I am a girl?"

I closed my eyes and laughed at the thought. It came out more like a raspy dry-hack.

Reyna shifted around uncomfortably, like someone far more intimidating was standing behind me.

"Aurum and Argentum can tell whether you're lying. If you lie, they attack."

Let's face it, those mechanical monstrosities were the scariest things I'd seen on this whole trip. If I had been lying, I would have told the truth instantly. But then my hopes rose. Maybe this girl would listen to me since her dogs were like lie detectors. She had to believe me.

"So, why are you and your friends here?" she asked.

I forced myself into a sitting position with my one good arm. Even that hurt. I said, "Chiron sent us to warn you that Gaea's planning to sabotage our attempt to make peace with you."

The dogs didn't growl, but they kept opening their mouths, showing these knifelike teeth.

"You're telling the truth?" Reyna said almost as a question.

I nodded.

"Well, I'll take that into consideration as we meet them today. I have to go."

"Wait, I'm stuck here?" I said, getting panicked.

"Do you think that I'd let you go?" Reyna asked cooly.

I got on my knees. "At least get Octavian out of here," I pleaded, "He's been torturing me this whole time." I shuddered and took a deep breath. "It's wrong and—I just can't handle any more pain," I cried before burying my head in my hands.

I don't think that I could have been any more pathetic, but Reyna only looked at me sympathetically.

"You can't trust him. He wants a reason to fight the Greeks."

"I know what Octavian is like. He'll do anything to overthrow Percy."

When I tried to stand up, my legs buckled and I collapsed in front of Reyna. Styx, I didn't want to look like this in front of an enemy. Luckily, I didn't have to feel embarrassed for long because I passed out.

 **. . .**

The next time I woke up, I looked around the room for Octavian and his goons. Luckily, they weren't there, nor were any guards for the matter. I went up to the door and rearranged the tumbler pins so that they lined up and opened the door. I was surprised that the Romans weren't prepared for people like me. I probably could have lifted a few artifacts if I had wanted to. For your information, I wasn't thinking about actually doing that.

This place was like a dungeon that was half submerged in the ground. The ceilings were low and there was straw everywhere. Now that I thought about it, it looked like a place to keep animals.

I wasn't quite sure where Octavian was keeping Drew, Connor, and Coach Hedge, but I kept searching.

Just then, I heard footsteps. I slipped behind the wall and waited. This really stocky guy with a babyface came around the corner. He had a cross bow on his back. By instinct, I jumped out and tackled him into the wall.

Even though I was a head taller than him, he outweighed me by a lot. He started to struggle against my weight until he was on top of me.

I realized that this was one of the stupidest things I'd ever done. I was weak, without food, and beat up. There was no way I could have defeated this guy.

Right as he was about to punch me, I shouted for him to stop, and he did. "You know about the Greeks right?"

He nodded. "They're Percy's friends," he said, unsure whether he should let me speak.

"Look, if you don't want an all out war between the Greeks and Romans, you have to tell me where my friends are."

The guy got up off of me, but he seemed wary of my intentions. I had to grasp the wall to keep standing. I wasn't even acting, I was just that worn down.

"Frank Zhang, you?" he asked.

"Luke Castellan," I said hesitantly. He didn't seem to know who I was, which was good.

"I'm not one hundred percent sure where you friends are, but I know they're not there. Hey, how'd you get out?"

"Son of Hermes. I can pick locks. I don't really advertise it though."

Frank led me up into the sunlight where there was a pavilion. "This is where we keep criminals before trials."

"Where was I then?"

"Where we keep beasts for war games."

Frank left me at that point. I went up to the entrance. This looked like paradise. It was a large open building with linens billowing in the breeze. I knew better than to enter because there was a forcefield. I put my hand out and focused on disabling it.

Connor and Drew noticed me outside the doorway.

"What is he doing?" Drew asked.

"Imagining something sexy," replied Connor.

"Shut up. I'm disabling the field."

I was surprised that I even got it with all the talking those two did.

Drew pulled me inside. "Why are your clothes ripped up? You look terrible."

I ignored her questions and found some ambrosia in a silver dish. I ate a piece before Drew attacked my face with a freezing cold cloth. I hated how Aphrodite's kids were always obsessed with appearance.

Connor looked down and laughed, saying: "I think you enjoy that a lot."

I tried to block Drew and said, "We have more important things to do."

"Come on, Luke. You look horrible," complained Drew.

Connor added, "And you smell pretty bad too."

I stopped struggling, and let her wash off the blood and grime. But she didn't stop with my face. Drew was so rough that everywhere she rubbed turned red.

When she had finished, I said, "We don't have much time, and I only know one person who'll listen to us."

"Great, who is it?"

"Nobody important."

"You're a downer, Luke," Drew said before plopping down on a comfortable looking couch.

"Hey, I was put in a stable. You guys got the penthouse up in here, and I was the one who broke out." I sat down on an uncomfortable wooden chair and tried to rest. "Hey, where's Benson Hedges?"

Connor laughed and Drew didn't get it.

"He got thrown out. Apparently, fauns are like beggars here."

"So, he could have got to Percy?"

"Maybe," said Connor

I started to rub my forehead. "Dear Gods, we need to do something." There was this ice tub by my chair that had a bunch of fancy waters in. All I had in that cell was a pitcher of lukewarm water. I took a San Pellegrino, since there was no Pepsi, and guzzled it down. Gods, that felt good.

Drew got up. "Look, you said you met someone?"

"Yeah," I replied.

"Then we're going to give him a message for Percy. That way, it'll make its way though."

Drew went over to a desk and scrawled out a message on a fancy piece of stationary. Her hand writing was a lot neater than mine, but the letters were just as jumbled as any demigod's.

Unfortunately, I couldn't find Frank anywhere. Instead, we decided to get to the city ourselves. When we got there, this giant statue stopped us.

"Halt, I am Terminus. Why have you come here?"

I was so confused. Terminus wasn't exactly a bust, he was a man that was carved down to the base of his stomach.

Drew spoke up: "Hello, we need to get in to speak with the leader of the camp. We're trying to save you guys."

"Well, you'd better dress better than the way you are now."

"Please, Terminus, we need to get in. This really is an emergency."

Terminus shushed me with his invisible hand. "I have more pressing matters. No weapons. Period!"

He exploded, though I wasn't sure where or why. I didn't care and led us into what the sign said was _New Rome_. Everyone there was wearing one of those togas, so we stuck out like a sore thumb.

We made our way to the center of the crowd where a ladder was coming down. Three teens who I didn't recognize and Annabeth came down. I felt a knot in my stomach. I really didn't want to deal with this right now.

I was able to see Percy and Octavian greet them. Percy was wearing a toga too. I don't know why, but I really didn't like togas. Just then, the crowd shifted, pulling us away from the meeting. It was useless to fight them, so we went into a cafe and waited for things to calm down.

Connor asked, "Do you want to go get a coffee?"

I couldn't believe I was giving in. The three of us ordered cappuccinos, which I paid for with some money I pick-pocketed from a guy in a purple toga. We sat outside on the porch and drank like there was nothing else that we were supposed to be doing. For a moment, it felt like we were just regular college kids in San Francisco out on break.

As I watched people pass by, I noticed that a lot of them were adults, and some of them had children. This wasn't just a camp that trained heroes, it was a place for people to live afterwards. Everyone looked so content. I kind of wished that Camp Half-Blood were this way.

Something cold brushed past my neck. It set me on edge, like something bad was around us.

"Come on, guys. We have to go now."

"Really?" asked Connor who had a foam mustache.

"Yeah, we have to."

"Drew was right, you are a downer."

"Shut up."

The three of us got up and headed towards the banquet hall. It was a pretty sweet layout. Everyone sat around on couches and there were what seemed to be wind nymphs bringing food around. It took a moment to find the group.

Everyone except Reyna and Octavian looked shocked. "Luke, what are you doing here?" Percy asked.

"It's important that we speak to you, now," I said tiredly. "I'll explain everything."

Percy took me out of the hall outside where people couldn't hear us.

"What is it, Luke?"

"First, Chiron sent us to tell you that Gaea's planning to sabotage the Greeks right as we speak. We came here trying to warn the Romans not to attack, but we were captured."

"Luke, why are you alive?" Percy said, still in disbelief.

I sighed and leaned agains the wall. "I'm not sure. Chiron said that someone smuggled me out of the Underworld while Thanatos was imprisoned. I don't know who got me out, nor do I know why."

I felt like this was the hundredth time I had to explain this. And you know what? I was starting to feel pretty guilty now. Every time I had to answer 'why' I just started to think _Why was I the one who came back to life? Why not somebody more deserving?_

"So, what can we do?" Percy asked.

"I don't know. I'm afraid now that our only choice is to prepare to leave before something happens."

"Did you guys even have a plan?"

"We had one before we found out that psycho, Octavian, wants a war between the Greeks."

Percy took a deep breath and said, "Well, I'm glad we have someone competent."

"Thanks," I said. I was unsure how I should have reacted.

The two of us went back into the dining hall with everyone else. Drew was glaring at whom I assumed to be Piper, and Connor was eating Frank's brisket.

I smelled cigar smoke. "Come on, Castellan. You didn't even try to find me?"

"Sorry, we didn't have time."

Coach Hedge spat on the ground before saying: "I saw you sipping your fancy little coffee like life was good, you cupcake."

"Wait, where were you?" I asked. I couldn't believe that he found us and hadn't said anything. I was worried.

"I got up on the Argo II with these guys," he said, pointing to the people who had come from the ship.

"Grab a plate, man," this one guy with really curly hair said. Most of the people here must not have known who I was because they were pretty friendly.

I shook my head.

"I will," Connor said, taking a plate from one of the nymphs. I sat down next to him to avoid feeling awkward.

After everyone had finished eating, Percy and his friends, Hazel and Frank, took us around to see Camp Jupiter in detail. Annabeth went off with Reyna. The first thing Percy showed us was the Field of Mars. I couldn't believe what Percy told us. Apparently, they built forts for every new war, and it was an all out war, not just capture the flag. I probably would have loved it here. Everything was so organized and on schedule. I kinda wondered if I had been preoccupied, maybe I wouldn't have had time to hate the Gods.

"Luke."

"Huh?"

I looked down. Percy had tapped me on the shoulder. "What's wrong?"

"Why did you guys think we were in danger?"

"There were Eidolons, Gaea's servants, who got into the camp grounds. They said that their brethren were coming here."

I felt my phone materialize in my pocket. I had almost forgot that the Romans confiscated it. There was a loud scream and Drew pointed towards the massive ship. "Damn it, we have to go, now."

I started to sprint back, and Percy was soon was ahead of me. The rest were far behind. "Percy, what the hell? Why is the ship shooting an the Romans?" I shouted.

"I don't know," he said. He was as confused as me. When we got back to the city, Coach Hedge and Annabeth were on top of the ladder and Octavian was running around on the ground, screaming like an idiot.

I took out my phone, ready to fight. "What are you doing?" Percy asked.

I popped out Backbiter and looked towards the group. "I'll hold them off, now go."

The Romans didn't have weapons, so were throwing plates and chairs at me. One braver soldier used an umbrella as a spear. I dodged it and hit him on the head with the butt of my sword. My fist connected with another guy's jaw and he went flying back into the crowd.

That was when the crowd parted for Reyna. "Luke, you know this isn't going to work," she warned.

My chest was heaving and I felt like fighting her, but I listened.

"A war is going to break out if we don't get justice. You know what I mean."

I knew too well what she wanted me to do, and I wasn't going to die that way. As I was about to attack, Percy called for me to come up.

I ran to the ladder, which was ascending, and clambered on. Just as I was going to go up, I felt a burning pain in my leg. I dropped Backbiter, but kept holding on to the ladder as I got hoisted up. When I got close enough to the top, Frank lifted me up onto the ship like I weighed nothing.

Drew knelt beside me and said: "You were really brave, fighting off that horde."

I mumbled, "Bad time for flirting, Drew."

Annabeth almost knocked me over the side hugging me, but she soon let go and made a face. "You smell like salt water and burning hair."

"It's a long story," I said.

"Who are you guys?" asked this one kid in Camp Half-Blood shirt and clashing purple toga.

Annabeth was the one to say: "Everybody, this is Luke Castellan, Connor Stoll, and Drew Takanagi."

"Tanaka," Drew corrected.

Piper rolled her eyes.

"Luke, this is Frank Zhang, Piper McLean, Jason Grace, and Hazel Levesque."

Jason, who was swaying around on deck, said, "I'm starting to see double." Piper rushed forward and grabbed him before he passed out. She took him down into the ship.

"Aurum got a good bite out you," Hazel said as she inspected my leg. I hadn't even looked at it, but it made me sick again. Regular dog bites looked bad, but mechanical dog bites were a whole other story. I wouldn't even describe to you how sickening it looked.

Frank picked me up like a child and carried me down to a cabin. Hazel followed me. It wasn't a bad place to be; the room was big enough and there was a real bed, not a plank of wood or cot.

"This is going to hurt," Hazel said as she soaked a rag in alcohol. I hardly was paying attention until I felt a horrible sting sensation that turned into blinding pain.

I cursed and grasped the sheets. Hazel apologized before bandaging me up. She and Frank left after that. When I got up, I found that someone had put my backpack on the desk. I took out a piece of ambrosia before sitting back down.

There was a knock on the door. "Come in."

The door opened slowly and Annabeth came in. She sat down on a chair near the bed. "So how are you?" she asked.

"Fine, I think I've been through worse. How are you doing?"

"Ok," she replied, "I've missed Percy since his disappearance. It's all so frustrating with the Giants."

I still needed to be filled in on Gaea's whole master plan, but I didn't want to interrupt her.

"I was so relieved to find Percy and…" Annabeth broke into tears and sobbed. "Oh, Luke," she cried, "I'm sorry. It's my fault you died."

I shook my head. "No, Annabeth. Gods, it's not your fault. I—Gods!" I covered my face and groaned in frustration.

"I was not in any condition to be changed or swayed at that point. So much had happened. I had no choice, but to follow Kronos. If you had come with me when I asked, you probably would have been killed, or forced to kill me."

Annabeth started to sob. "I should have looked after you, though. I had no idea how angry you were. I should have—"

I got up and hugged her before she could say anything else. "I was supposed to be the big brother, remember? I promised to care for you and protect you. I failed, not you."

Annabeth looked up at me this time. "Are you really free from Kronos?" I wiped a tear away from her and nodded, struggling not to cry, myself. I felt terrible that Annabeth blamed herself for my death. I wished she wouldn't care about me anymore.

When she calmed down, I sat back down on the bed and propped my leg up over a pillow. "Have you seen Thalia, recently?"

She shook her head. "No, did you want to talk to her?"

I hesitated to answer. "Actually, I'd feel embarrassed to talk to her."

"Hey, guys," Percy said as he passed by.

"Percy, get in here. This is important for you, too."

He grumbled before stepping inside the cabin.

"Look, when I woke up for the first time, I was attacked by this thing called the Ophiotaurus. At least that's what I thought."

"What's an Ophiotaurus?" Percy asked.

"It looks like a Minotaur with with snake's lower section. Any more questions?"

Percy shook his head, but Annabeth said, "Didn't Hephaestus put Bessie in a holding container on Mount Olympus?"

"Probably, but remember that the Gods are turning on each other. Anyways, Kronos had sent it for me so that I could kill the Gods or whatever. The person who saved me, burned it, which means that they have the power to defeat the Gods. I think it was Thalia because the person who saved me was using a bow and arrow."

"Thalia wouldn't do that."

"Why do you think I kept saying _this is what Thalia would have done?_ "

"I thought you were trying to mask your guilt," Annabeth said.

I shook my head. "No. I just don't feel good about the whole thing."


	4. Chapter 4 - I Meet an Old Friend

**_Chapter 4_**

 ** _I Meet an Old Friend_**

I finally got to meet Leo, son of Hephaestus, who had fired on the Romans. I vouched for him when I realized that the Eidolons were behind the attack. He was still taking it badly. I wondered whether they were still on the ship.

A couple hours later, Leo said that we were landing in Salt Lake City to get the parts we needed to fix the ship. We also had to crash land the ship in the lake. The only one who wasn't fazed by the news was Coach Hedge who repeatedly shouted: "Bring it on, lake!" It made all of us feel uneasy. From experience, I knew not to taunt nature.

When we got off the ship, Annabeth split us into groups to get what we needed to repair the ship. Annabeth, Connor, and I went for the lime. Instead of going to a stone plant and creating suspicion, we went to this small farm out in the back country. We rented a car under my name and drove.

The sign in front of said Wengenberg Farms.

That name felt familiar, but like usual, I ignored the feeling. The farm was actually pretty small. Most of it was an apple orchard, but there was a house and a barn. We pulled up near the house and got out of the car. Annabeth knocked on the door. An old man answered.

"Hey there, I'm Ernest."

"Hi, we're looking to buy some lime… for our dad's farm," Annabeth lied.

"Sure thing, miss. You might want to bring your car back with us." Connor got in the car and drove behind us as we went around the side of a barn. It looked like an apocalypse after an H-bomb.

Ernest handed us several shovels. "Take as much as you like and I'll charge you after you're finished."

"But then we don't know—" I elbowed Annabeth in the side.

I whispered into her ear, "They usually give you a good price this way."

After we paid him, Ernest invited us in to meet his wife, Sue, and have lunch on the back porch. I felt odd being here, but none of us could say no. Sue brought us cucumber sandwiches and a pitcher of Arnold Palmers. Ernest had a bit of trouble it pouring into our glasses, so I got up and helped him. Afterwards, he said, "You know, I have a daughter who's just about your age."

As I was chewing, I said, "Really?" The last bit of sandwich went down my throat hard.

"Her name's Penelope. Four years ago, she came back from her camp to live with us. She's been great help."

I glanced at Connor. I hoped he knew what I was getting at. "Well, maybe we should get going," I suggested, " _Dad_ might be getting worried."

"Nonsense, stay. Penelope might come home soon."

I don't even remember Penelope that well. She was a dark haired girl who looked kind of like the other children of Nemesis. There was definitely a bitterness in her eyes after Aesop died. She also liked kicking people.

After a little bit, I insisted on leaving. Annabeth agreed and we thanked Ernest and Sue before going out to the car. I thought I was in the clear, but then a red truck pulled up the driveway.

"I think that's her, Luke," said Annabeth. I kinda thought Annabeth wanted to find me a date. I wished she wouldn't. I could go on a dating website if I wanted to date somebody.

I waited for Penelope to get out of the car, though I still hoped it was a different Penelope. A woman dressed in tight jeans, pointy riding boots, and a field jacket slid out of the truck. I couldn't believe it was her. Yes, she was cute when I met her a long time ago, but she really took after Nemesis now. Gods, I felt nervous.

"Why are you here?" she asked.

I stood there petrified.

Annabeth gave me a confused look.

"Was she ever your girlfriend?" Annabeth asked derisively.

I shook my head.

Connor called out from inside the car, "Bad news, guys. The car won't start."

"Well, what's wrong with it?"

"I don't know, Luke!" Connor yelled back frustrated. I'd never actually seen Connor as mad or bothered as today.

"Put the car in neutral and push it into the barn," said Penelope as she headed to open the barn door. I was surprised that she hadn't exploded like before.

Annabeth and I started to push the car towards the barn. It wasn't easy, but we finally got it in.

"Listen guys, go inside, I'll try to fix the car, and if I can't, I'll call somebody." Right then, thunder crashed, and it started to rain sheets.

"Luke, I'll stay and help," offered Annabeth.

I watched Connor adjust himself as he followed Penelope back inside. Then I started working on the car. I wasn't super experienced with cars, but I was pretty handy. I could tell that there was a dead battery.

"Luke, what happened with Penelope? Was this while you were Kronos."

I shook my head and got up from the car, before telling Annabeth the truth. The whole time, she was quiet. When I had finished, she was in complete disbelief. She sat down on a bale of hay and said, "I didn't know, Luke. I would have left instead of waiting here."

"Yeah, that would have been great," I muttered. "She gave me this scar. I don't trust her You know, I think she was the one who first put it in my head to tear down Olympus."

"Why didn't you tell anyone about Camp Jupiter?"

The question hung in the air until Annabeth asked: "So, can you fix the car?"

I shook my head and smiled weakly. "I can't fix this, let's call a repair tech and get out of here."

We waited almost a half hour before I saw headlights coming up the driveway. "There he is." The two of us went outside and waved for the tech to come to the barn. I don't know who I was expecting, but I knew who I wasn't expecting, and that was this guy.

First off, it wasn't some regular car, but a big truck on a huge suspension. It was like something out of redneck's dream. The man getting out was almost seven feet tall and he had a grizzly beard. He even had a cowboy hat.

He said from over his clipboard, "Hello, I got a call from a Luke Castellan."

"Yeah, that's me."

He walked straight past me and started to look at the car. "Is this a rental?"

"Yeah, it is."

"If you pay cash, I'll pretend I didn't hear that."

After a cursory glance, the car roared to life almost like magic. I took out my wallet. "So, how much?" The man walked over to me. The name on his company issued polo said Doc Thorn.

"So, what's the _Doc_ for?" I asked.

"Typical demigods, always asking questions when they shouldn't," the man said in a deep voice, "I want blood." He threw off his hat, revealing two gigantic horns.

" _Di immortals_ , it's Dr. Thorn."

I didn't bother trying to figure out how Annabeth already knew Dr. Thorn or Doc, and drew Backbiter. Doc started to thrust his hands towards me. I dodged and was forced to move back towards the barn wall. By now, he had ripped off his shirt and grew into his furry, monstrous form.

"I will kill you Luke Castellan and Annabeth Chase." He smiled cruelly before a phone ring stopped him. Doc started speaking into one of those headsets for your phone.

"I'll make it fast," he growled. I jumped sideways to avoid Doc as he barreled into a steel pole. I managed to slice his arm, but it was only a flesh wound. Doc's back foot slid back before I could stop him, and he knocked me on the ground.

Right as he was going to rip my head off, Annabeth leapt on top of Doc and thrust her knife into his neck. The lionish beast reared on its back legs and struggled to get Annabeth off. I pulled her away from Doc before she became a pancake.

"Forget this," Doc roared. He breathed out a column of fire along the roof of the barn. Of course, it caught quickly and spread.

"Hey, Dr. Thorn! If you were smart, you wouldn't have fixed the car," I shouted. The two of us got in the car and I threw it in reverse, smashing through the barn wall. I stopped right outside the barn where we could see the flames erupting from the broken windows and the roof. "Well, we messed up," I said.

When I got out of the car, it was still raining. "Luke, watch out!" Annabeth cried.

That stupid Manticore flew at me from the wheat field. With one swipe, I was sent flying back into the barn. He then went to look for Annabeth. I got worried when I couldn't find her, but then Dr. Thorn started to run in circles like he was being attacked by someone invisible. As I got up, Penelope came out with a rifle. I hoped she had celestial bronze or whatever loaded in that thing. But then I realized something.

"Wait, stop!" I yelled, "Annabeth's invisible, you might hit her."

She didn't even listen and fired straight into the monster's eye, making me cringe a little since she had already taken one of my eyes. Well not exactly taken, it was just clouded.

Dr. Thorn disintegrated and Annabeth took off her cap, revealing that she was behind the beast, the whole time. Penelope ignored the two of us and looked at the barn, now in ruins.

I cursed loudly and tried to apologize, but Penelope refused to acknowledge me. 1She spoke to Annabeth, leading her into the house. I got in the car and drove it up near house, but I just waited there. It was easier that dealing with her. I started to fall asleep and heard voices.

 _Luke, wake up! The time is near_ some woman shouted into my ear.

"What?" I mumbled.

A really weird half female voice screeched, _Your attempt at helping the demigods is useless. Join us or die_.

"No, get out of my head."

 _Silence! Soon Olympus will fall, mortal. Then you will die._

Elysium morphed around me. Beckendorf, Silena, Michael, Ethan, Aesop, and so many others were at this barbecue. I was talking to Bianco DiAngelo. She had just told me that she was going to try again so that she could get into the Isle of Blest. I agreed to go too and said something corny about maybe crossing paths someday.

As I was preparing to go, a guard told me that Hades wanted to speak to me. I followed him, but instead of Hades, there was a woman covered in a cloak. She didn't speak to me and only gestured for me to follow. Then things started to go dark.

I felt a cold chill on the back of my neck. There was a knock.

"Hey Luke," Connor called, "Come on in."

I groaned before sliding out of the car feeling sore and groggy. I followed Connor onto the porch, but I didn't go in. "Luke, why aren't you coming in?"

"Because he's a coward," Penelope spat. "You know you're a coward for not bringing Aesop's body back."

Annabeth came to my defense and said, "He's not a coward, you hag." I'm sure _hag_ was the nicest word she could have used. "And he was trying to think about you."

"I would have rather died than leave without his body. A hero needs to be laid to rest."

"Let's just go home, Annabeth."

I started to leave, disgusted by how crazy Penelope sounded.

She sneered, "Not just that, you were inexperience. Aesop was trying to protect you. If he hadn't been trying to save you, he'd be here today."

I stopped in my tracks and turned around.

"You're a terrible person, Luke."

I broke, shouting: "Well, what do you want from me? To tell you how it was all my fault that Aesop died? How I messed up? Or would you rather me just to lay down and die right now?"

Penelope looked ready to kill me, but she regained her composure. "You should have died. Aesop should have ignored you and let you die."

I gulped and started to sweat.

.

We got back to the Argo II later than the rest of our crew. On the drive back, Annabeth kept trying to explain to me that it wasn't my fault, but it kinda was if Aesop was trying to keep me out of harms way.

The rest of our crew didn't fare well either. Jason and Percy had been possessed by the Eidolons and would have killed each other if it hadn't been for Piper. The funny part was that now they were fighting over who would have killed the other. Honestly, I didn't know. Jason was like the exact opposite of Percy despite being of the same nature. I didn't get much of a chance to talk to him at all.

Leo got the ship up and running by night, and we headed for Atlanta, Georgia. Apparently, the less old Roman version of Mr. D told Piper that we could get information on Gaea from Phorcys. Counting magical creatures, there were eleven people on board, so there were more than enough people to go to the aquarium.

But on the bright side, Piper got the Eidolons out of the ship, so none of us had to worry about getting killed by our best friend.

At the moment, I was on the deck looking out at the sky. I was feeling really bad about betraying the Gods. Seeing Penelope made me realize how ridiculous it was to hold grudges. She was miserable, even though she didn't have to be, and I bet she thought about the day Aesop died until it was twisted and far from the truth. I did the same thing with Thalia, and maybe she didn't want me to go down this path.

I did something I hadn't done in so many years. I prayed to my father for forgiveness and the success of Percy's quest.

"Luke, what are you doing out here?"

I turned around. Drew was coming up from below.

"Oh, hey, Drew." I sighed, "I'm not doing anything I just came up because I couldn't sleep."

She stood next to me. For once, I felt awkward around a girl. I noticed that she was wearing a tank top.

"Do you want my coat?" I asked. It was really out of niceness, I still wasn't into her.

She nodded. I took it off and handed it to her. She threw it over her shoulders I felt a little embarrassed now since it was torn up and smelled like sweat. "Luke, I'm sorry about saying all those things at the hotel and in prison."

I said jokingly, "It was prison for me. You got a five star vacation."

"But, I was so mean and I don't even notice it most of the time. Saying 'why are you even alive?' I shouldn't say things like that."

"I guess not," I replied a little absentmindedly. "Do you hate me?"

"No, I don't, Luke. That might be a bad thing, though."

I knew she was pointing at the in-substantialness of her character, but she couldn't say it most likely because she was too shallow to let the words slip out of her mouth. But I only said, "Yeah, maybe. You did try to flirt with me."

She laughed. "I should try to be nicer to people just for the sake of being nice, though."

"It always worked for me."

She gave me back my jacket and hugged me before going to bed. I was surprised at how much she was changing. When I first met Drew, six years ago, she was the most stuck up girl I'd ever met, except for maybe Lindsey Lohan, but that's another story.

Just then, I heard a loud sigh come from around the corner. I went to investigate, but it was only Jason having his own personal moment. He looked up from over the railing at me.

"Sorry, I just thought I heard something," I apologized.

"That's no problem," Jason said before approaching me. "You know, I expected you to be angrier and well, uncooperative."

"Yeah, I get that a lot."

Jason said, "I knew who you were from the descriptions, and I saw a picture of you when I was with Annabeth, but I never put two and two together." He laughed and said, "I thought you two were like a couple before Percy."

"Yeah, she used to have this huge crush on me. It was like a little kid thing, though."

"So, do you know anything about Gaea that we don't?"

I shook my head. "I hate to admit it, but I was pretty ignorant to Kronos's entire plan."

"Ah, I see. So, you weren't as evil as I heard from the stories."

"Eh, I wouldn't say that," I said bitterly, "I wasn't completely unaware of what I was doing."

Jason changed the subject to his sister Thalia and asked me about her childhood. I told him what a great person she was, though I left out the part about all the shit I gave her.

"So, you really loved her?"

I paused for what seemed like an eternity. "Yeah, yeah I did. I loved her a lot." I choked out, "What was she like the last time you saw her?"

"Excited to see me. It was as if that had been the first nice thing to happen to her in a long time. She seemed very resigned, otherwise."

"I'm afraid that she's going down the same path as me," I said gravely.

Jason put his hands in his pockets and leaned against the railing. He seemed to be lost in thought. I was afraid that he would fall off the side of the ship, but I didn't say anything.

I put my hand on his shoulder. "Jason, I don't know what kind of person you are. Maybe, you're stronger that me and wouldn't give in, but don't let things build up inside of you. It's ruined too many heroes."

"Thanks, Luke. I get where you're coming from, but I don't think Thalia's given in yet. She's got a strong spirit like me."

"Hey, custard caps!" The two of us turned around to see Coach Hedge waving his club around. "Off to bed, now!"

"Relax, I'm an adult and that rule's mainly for Percy and Annabeth."

"Can't take risks," Coach Hedge bleated.

"Come on, it's not like we'd do anything."

"Rules are rules, Mr. Dad."

I was not sure where he got that idea from, and it bothered me greatly. I decided not to pick a fight, so I said good night to Jason and Coach Hedge before going to the bathroom to brush my teeth. Coach Hedge made me rush on that too. He said things like _you're not dating the bed, buddy_ or _you'd probably lift weights the way you brush your teeth_. I knew I wasn't dating the bed, and I wasn't going to be lifting weights, if you know I mean.

I don't know how I put up with him. Actually, I don't know how I put up with my past camp counselors. After I sorta got over Thalia's death, I got to be a real smart mouth and a rule breaker, though most children of Hermes are that way. There were so many times I was on dish duty and even more times I was ambushed by pissed off counselors.

I probably should have listened more in classes too, like archery and architecture. Of course, I was usually goofing off or flirting with girls. Gods, I had a good thing, and I messed that up.

* * *

 **Author's note** : Penelope is indeed an original character. I got the idea, thinking that Luke had a bigger reason to be angry over the failed mission. Penelope also serves as an example of what pent up hatred leads to.

Fair warning, I do include some euphemisms for the older audience (like 15+ since I'm only sixteen) to enjoy. So, look out for them, cause they're pretty obscure, but hilarious.


	5. Chapter 5 - Octavian The Eagle Whisperer

**_Chapter 5_**

 ** _Octavian the Eagle Whisperer_**

I spent most of the time up in my cabin watching _Breaking Bad_ while three people at a time got to go on missions. I hated to say it, but I really identified with Walter White in the _I really honest to Gods do, but I wish I didn't_ sort of way.

Anyway, I was sleeping when Piper woke me up, and interrupted Coach Hedge's movie. I had slept through a quick skirmish with the Romans, and a chance to beat up Octavian. But I wasn't the mad one, Coach Hedge was going ballistic because he couldn't finish a Chuck Norris film. He jumped onto the port side ballista and prepared to attack.

Before I could tell him that he was being stupid, he fired into friendly territory. I was going to cuss him out when the group started to go down over Fort Sumpter.

"I need to get down there," yelled Annabeth. Percy and I both said no at the same time, but she was adamant.

"I'll go with you then," I said.

"But—"

"No, Annabeth. You're not going alone."

The two of us started to climb down the ladder and headed for Fort Sumter. I wished I had worn some armor because the Romans were decked out in it. One slice, and I'd be down. As soon as my feet hit the ground, I was running into a hell-storm of Romans and disgruntled tourists. I had to be kinda careful where I was pointing my sword since Backbiter could hurt mortals too.

Annabeth and I passed Jason who was fighting his friend. His friend looked drunk, and like he'd been kissing a girl with a lot of red lipstick for six years straight.

"Get back to the ship, Now!" Annabeth shouted.

"What about you?" Jason called back.

"I've got to go find the map."

"But—"

Annabeth had run off before he could finish. I had no choice but to follow her. I parried one centurion and ran through a crowd of tourists. I got stopped by this one angry dad who was complaining about me being too into the reenactment. The mist was really strange sometimes.

I followed Annabeth into this room that was really musty and filled with cobwebs. "Stay and watch out for the guards."

"Got it," I replied.

It felt like hours that I waited for either Annabeth to come back or for the Romans to capture us. I almost charged out when I thought I heard something, but I stopped myself. It was only a stray cat.

This time, I heard footsteps. Someone was coming so I drew my sword. "Who's there?" I called out.

"You know who, Luke."

The name was kind of fuzzy, but I knew who she was. "Reyna?"

She came around the corner with her Imperial gold javelin pointed towards my chest, and her greyhounds baring their teeth at me.

I expected her to be batshit smug like Octavian, but surprisingly, she looked tired and disinterested. "I thought you'd be here," she said with exhaustion.

"Reyna, you have to trust Annabeth and Percy. We're going to get things settled, we just need time."

"Luke, save it. I have no choice. When Octavian sets his mind to something, he will not let go. If you don't surrender, Octavian will turn on Camp Half-Blood to keep the bloodlust going."

I swallowed hard before asking, "What do you propose?"

"Let us capture you. Let Octavian parade you around before killing you so that the Romans will be appeased." She grabbed my hand in hers and pleaded, "Yes, it would be a painful death, but Luke, you could prevent innocent bloodshed." A certain story from A.D. came to mind, and it scared me. I wasn't that guy.

"Gods, why? Once the trial is over, Octavian will be vindicated and Gaea will have won."

"But the Romans will never trust you."

I moaned loudly and started to pace back and forth since I was kinda jacked up on adrenaline. I finally calmed down, realizing what I had to do.

"Look, you say that Octavian won't stop until he gets blood?"

"Yes."

"If we fail. I'll turn myself in. The Greeks will hand over the most powerful demigod alive. Octavian would eat that up."

Reyna looked down at the ground, almost forgetting that we were enemies. "It's for the better," she said sympathetically.

I didn't feel better that she felt sorry for me. I didn't feel better that she understood how I felt. I had enough sympathy since I was young. I just wished someone would stand up and do something.

I said before she could continue, "I get it. I swear on the River Styx that the day Octavian comes to the borders of Camp Half-Blood, I'll turn myself in, no protesting."

"Very well, Luke. Hopefully, I won't see you soon."

She and her two dogs walked away. I wished she had of a spine to stand up to Octavian. She was higher in command and should have stopped this stupid feud.

"Luke, ready?" Annabeth said as she came back, covered in cobwebs. I thought she would have been freaking out around spiders.

"Yeah," I replied. The two of us bolted back through the chaos. I had to keep moving through the crowd which slowed me down, but it also kept the Romans from seeing us. I heard a loud whistling in the wind. It was Octavian flying on his giant eagle, shouting: "Get the Greeks! We must not stop!"

I ignored him and sped up towards the gangplank. Frank grabbed me as the ship started to move away. Annabeth grabbed hold of my legs just as the gangplank fell. I was glad that I had a belt on, but I was afraid that Frank wouldn't be able to lift us up.

"Frank, hurry."

He groaned, "I'm trying."

Finally, with the help of Hazel, we were pulled up onto the safety of the deck. "Step on it," Annabeth shouted to Leo.

Percy created a gale of wind and Jason created a storm to subdue the Romans. Leo gunned the boat, leading us further away from the Roman, but straight into new danger.

I didn't bother talking to anyone and went straight to my cabin. I just laid there looking up at the ceiling. Normally, thoughts would have been racing through my head, but I was too exhausted to think or to do anything. Around dinner time, I came out, but I didn't eat anything. A couple times, Leo and Jason tried to talk to me, but I wasn't really paying attention to what they said.

As I walked back to my room, Percy stopped me. He started to talk about Annabeth and the plans for fighting the Romans if they came after Camp Half-Blood.

"Luke, did you hear anything I said?"

"Huh?"

"Are you going to help us?"

"Oh, yeah, of course, Percy," I replied dully.

Percy said abruptly, "What's wrong? Ever since you came back with Annabeth, you've just been moping around. Usually, after a battle, I'm geeked up or just tired."

"Look, you don't trust me and I'm fine with that."

"Luke, it's not like you think it is."

"No, that's actually a good thing cause I can tell you the truth and you'll handle the situation rationally."

Percy looked confused, but let me go on.

"I made a deal with Reyna that I'd turn myself into the Romans as soon as Octavian declared wars and enters Camp Half-Blood."

"Like a pact, or an—" Percy stopped himself seeming to know what I was going to say.

"Yeah, I made an oath on the River Styx."

"So, you're like going to be like a deposit on an apartment? You turn yourself in until we get the Mark of Athena back."

I gave a hollow laugh. "I wish. Octavian's going to kill me. Reyna told me that if the Romans could calm down, then they would listen to reason."

"So, we've got to unite the Romans and the Greeks fast," Percy said as a statement, not a question. He sounded like he wanted to save me.

"Yeah, so we can stop that megalomaniac, Octavian, before he declares war. I can't believe I had a chance to punch him, and I slept through it."

I said this more to humor Percy. I had already lost hope for this mission when Leo fired on New Rome.

"Luke, why did you agree?"

I took a deep breath and exhaled shakily. "Because I knew if I could stop more bloodshed, then I had to do it, and I hoped that maybe I'd come back to life since the Gates of Death are open."

"Maybe," Percy said hopefully.

"Well, goodnight. Wake me if you need a shift covered."

I went back to my cabin and crashed on the bed before falling asleep. I don't know how long I was out, but I was in a really deep sleep until Chiron woke me up with an Iris message.

"Hello, Luke."

I mumbled sleepily, "Oh hi, Chiron." I sounded awful, like a really bad smoker. "What's up?"

"I take it your mission went badly."

"Yeah, we couldn't convince the camp's leader not to trust us."

"Should we prepare for an attack?"

I nodded and said grimly, "Octavian's going to come after Camp Half-Blood sooner or later. But I made a deal that might buy you some time."

Chiron asked suspiciously, "What did you bargain?"

"My life."

"Mm. You're right that it'll buy us some time to get ready, though for how long, I'm not sure. If this had been your second life, you'd be on the fast track to the Isles of Blest."

"Thanks, Chiron. So you want to hear some good news?"

Chiron laughed wearily and said: "That would be nice."

"Annabeth found the map and we're heading to Rome right now."

"That's good news, perhaps you'll get back in time."

"Yeah, I'm hoping so."

"By the way, a couple of campers found your stash of modern technology under the floorboards."

I felt a bit embarrassed like when I was kid. I stuttered, "Oh, about that. See, when I—"

"You don't need to worry, Luke. I had Travis take care of the matter."

I bet Travis took them for himself.

"Ok, that's good."

"Luke, I know you've got a lot going on, but please try to make sure Connor and Drew get back."

I nodded before the transmission ended. I laid back down and fell asleep. I started to have another dream with Kronos.

 _I know your plan little hero,_ he crooned. _And if I wanted to, I could vanquish your friends._

"You're still in me?"

 _I'm watching every one of you and your friends' moves_.

"Gods, so you're still in me."

 _I'm everywhere, mortal. I can even see little Thalia right now._

The disembodied voice conjured up an image of Thalia with the Hunters. They were fighting some sort of Giant, though I couldn't tell which. The image disappeared and Kronos only laughed. Some female voice accompanied him. I assumed it was Gaea. I started to wonder if this was all some sort of trap.

 **. . .**

I must have slept for days because Piper woke me up, telling me that we had gone past some monsters and were heading into rough territory. I threw on a pair of pants and a jacket, not really thinking about Piper who was still in the room and followed her up on deck.

Rough was right. This deep sea creature was latched onto the boat. It was like being on _Deadliest Catch_ , only we weren't hunting crabs, just a huge shellfish.

"Jason, can you shock it off?" Piper shouted above the turbulent waters.

He shook his head.

"Well, maybe you can talk to it, Percy," Annabeth suggested.

"I wish. It's not a friend of Poseidon."

Right then, the creature's slimy tendrils wrapped around Percy's leg. Everyone drew their weapons and prepared for it to pull Percy into the water. Instead, it threw Percy straight at me and the two of us went tumbling down the steps.

Percy started to moan. His leg was twisted in a what looked to be a pretty painful direction. I think I felt a little bit of his pain. "Listen, I'll be back," I said before dashing back on deck. By now, the creature was wrapping its tentacles around the entire boat. Whenever I'd slice the damn things off of crucial pressure points of the ship, they'd grow right back.

Piper screamed and pointed in the air. Leo and Hazel were wrapped tightly together and he was lighting the creature's tentacle on fire.

I saw Leo drop something into Shrimpzilla's mouth, and it lit on fire _Jaws_ style. It slowly sank back into the ocean with Leo, Hazel, and Frank. The rest of us ran over to the side of the ship where they had just disappeared. No one else said so, but we all knew that you couldn't survive that.

We didn't have time to mourn since our ship was about to sink. Percy, luckily, didn't break his leg, so was able to help Coach Hedge and me patch up the ship. Percy was able to use the water as a platform so that we could stand and weld. We couldn't do a full repair, but we did what we could to keep the ship from sinking.

We could sail, but we didn't because we still wanted to find the missing crew. As Drew embarrassingly suggested, I took a shower and _freshened_ up. Frank and Jason took the hint after I had come out looking a lot better and did the same.

I think I had been asleep for almost three days.

As Percy searched the sea around us, Coach Hedge and I worked on the control panel. I was able to fix the sonar/radar problem by rigging a sensor for nearby water on the lower side of the hull. I wondered if it would work properly in air, but right now, this was the best thing we had. _Manual_ controls, that felt like something out of the twentieth century. Then again, this ship was set up with a Wii nunchuck and a mixing board.

Right as I was coming down from the helm, three bubbles started to come up to the surface of the water. When they popped, there were Leo, Hazel, and Frank. Before any of us could drop a ladder, Piper dove straight into the water and swam towards the group. When they came up, Leo was holding a picnic basket.

Once things were settled, everyone except for Coach Hedge the steel hearted, went in the dining hall to talk about what happened.

Jason, Leo, and Frank were scarfing down brownies like they were from the bakery in Elysium. I think it was called Devil's Delight Bake Shop.

Speaking of the Devil, we started to talk about Nico DiAngelo's condition. I hadn't been listening too closely until now, and he wasn't doing so good. Apparently, Otis and Ephialtes had captured him and had him in a glass jar like a bug.

I thought the idea of him dying that way was perverse, but I shouldn't have expected less from Gaea's creations.

The discussion bounced from one thing to another. At one point Annabeth came to the conclusion that when we got to Rome, she'd have to go after the Mark of Athena alone. She said that if we could get it back together with the Romans, a battle could be averted. Somehow, talking about it only made me sick. Percy made eye contact with me at one point, assuring me that things would work out.

I didn't know if I believed him. As I heard more and more about this scheme, my faith dwindled. I also didn't want Annabeth going alone, but I knew we didn't have a choice.


	6. Chapter 6 - I Fight the Golden Boy

**_Chapter 6_**

 ** _I Fight the Golden Boy_**

I did it again. I fell asleep and missed Hercules and the food fight following our passage into the old world. I'm pretty sure I was the most useless member on the ship. Drew and Connor were at least present. All I did was sleep.

I asked Piper and Jason what Hercules was like. Apparently, the dude was younger than me and he was bitter. I could relate.

Later that night, I stayed up on watch since I woke up so late. It was the least I could do. The irritating part was that magical creatures flew on the ship almost every moment. One time, this gigantic, murderous pigeon dive-bombed me for turkey jerky. I hoped that thing flew far away so it wouldn't mess up the deck.

I passed Annabeth and Percy a couple times as I walked around on deck. When I was going up to the watch tower, I heard Percy shout something. After a moment I realized that he was saying stop, but then it was too late. Another ship had crashed straight into our hull.

Festus barbecued a couple soldiers coming on the ship, but it did little good to stop the horde. I drew my sword and ran to the front, and was met with numerous spears. In the light, I could see that these weren't really buff guys, but biped dolphins. It was like out of a sci-fi horror movie.

I looked over to see Annabeth and Percy in a similar situation. Leo had been knocked unconscious and one of the dolphin men was dragging him back to our side of the deck. I got kinda nervous because Leo had sounded the bells and no one was coming. I didn't want to think about what happened.

Just then, a human came on deck. He was dress from head to toe in gold and had a helmet that resembled a Gorgon's face. I tried not to show it, but I was kind of scared. Even Thalia's shield scared me.

He sauntered over to Percy and disarmed him, knocking Riptide into the ocean. I collapsed Backbiter and hid it in my pocket.

"I am Chrysador, plunderer of seas, the very best—"

"I thought Black Beard was the Plunderer of the Seas," Annabeth said.

Chrysador groaned like a child and stamped his foot. "I let Black Beard take the fall for one lousy time, and now everyone thinks he's behind all the missing ships."

He continued to prattle on saying, "I am always behind them. You know the sinking of the Lusitania during World War I? Me. World War II, and all the sunken ships? Me! Of course, the U-Boats got all the credit. Dumb children of Hades."

This guy was a basket case. I wondered what he looked like without the mask.

"Look who I find, Percy Jackson and his sidekick, Annabeth Chase. Even better, I get Luke Castellan too. Gaea will reward me for all three of you."

Annabeth and Percy began to talk to each other, although I couldn't hear what they were saying.

Chrysador cried out, "Yes, Medusa was my mother. Poseidon was my father, and your mother, Annabeth, turned mine into a monster. Two children laid inside her, unable to be born until Perseus cut off her head."

"You and Pegasus," Annabeth said.

I felt like neither of them were trying not to piss this guy off.

"Yes, after Pegasus was born, I was the forgotten child. A winged horse, what an incredible creature," Chrysador mimicked in a sickeningly sweet voice.

This guy sounded like he had a bad case of being the middle child, literally. He wasn't the first child of Poseidon and he wasn't the last, but he was the least known. I also felt bad for Percy. It wasn't bad enough that he was half brothers with this guy. He was half brothers with a winged horse. Then again, Pan was my half brother.

Jason and the rest were brought up by the other dolphins. They were thrown unceremoniously onto coils of rope, at least I hoped that was what it was.

Chrysador said to himself as he waved his sword around like he was drawing numbers, "The goat, I can sell to the Cyclops. All three girls can go to Circe. I have no use for two boys." His sword got dangerously close to Percy's face as he counted. A few times he started again. I could relate to that—well I could relate to the dyslexia.

I looked around. Frank wasn't in the pile of people. He must have gotten away.

When Piper started to scream and kick against her bonds, Percy charged Chrysador. I didn't waste time and drew Backbiter, snapping three spears at once. I sliced off the arm of a dolphin before slicing straight through another dolphin. I felt a little bad since no one wanted to hurt dolphins, but in my defense, these were actually bloodthirsty pirates who raped and plundered, not innocent animals that got hunted on the east coast.

I heard a clunk. Percy had just lost his sword for the second time. I used one dolphin as a spring board and landed in front of Chrysador.

"Ok golden boy, let's see what you got."

At least from what the mask showed, he was pissed off. Chrysador swung, aiming to disarm me, but I parried and jabbed him where there was a chink in his armor. He didn't show any sign of pain, but it must have done something.

I quickly dodged his swipe and moved to slide into his knee, but he jumped back. Gods, he was fast.

"Watch out," Annabeth shouted.

I jumped out of the way of a dolphin's spear. It came down and sent splinters everywhere. Chryador took the opportunity to send my sword flying into the water. He must have really liked making people feel as crappy as him. I stood there dumbly, but only for a moment because Chrysador's hilt slammed down on my head.

I fell straight to the ground and started to black out.

 **. . .**

I heard Leo mutter, "Six million dollars in gold, all for the booze God."

I opened my eyes. I was lying on the deck next to a severed dolphin arm. _Gross_. I got up and pulled down my shirt before walking over to the side of the ship where everyone was watching Chrysador's ship sink into the ocean.

"What happened?"

"We tricked the dolphins into thinking that Mr. D was on the ship."

I glanced at Chrysador's ship which only had the top of its mast showing.

"So, a tribute of Diet Coke and gold?"

"Yeah," Percy replied.

I said. "I'm more of a Pepsi person, but whatever floats his boat."

"Or sinks it," Leo said in disgust.

"Not all precious metals are good," Hazel warned.

I almost said something about profits always being good, but I thought not to. Being a child of Hermes made me money obsessed and not the most moral person. I learned from enough trouble that money wasn't always worth it. Of course, selling technology to the campers was a stroke of genius. I was proud about the profit I made. Ok, maybe I was a lot like Walter White.

Other than a splitting headache, I was fine and could go about doing normal things. Everyone else seemed to be ok except for Percy who went to his cabin to sleep the fight off.

When I went to check on Coach Hedge, he slammed into me and stood on my stomach. He nearly brained me with his bat, shouting: "Die, goat eater!"

"Whoa Coach, it's me."

He calmed down and got off of me. "Not much better."

"Come on, you love me," I said jokingly.

He only snorted and sat down near the sonar system.

"You and Tanaka aren't doing anything behind my back right?" he asked, almost confiding in me, the only adult on ship. Truth be told, almost everyone else was an adult too. Percy and Annabeth were only a year shy away from being eighteen.

I shook my head. "Not at all, Coach." Honest to the Gods, all I could think about was Thalia, though I didn't know whether I should even let her know that I'm alive, plus she's still like sixteen. The aging was really weird. I didn't know if I should just see her the way I see Annabeth, as a friend.

"Good, I have too many goo-goo-eyed teenagers to look after. Thank the Gods for Leo and Connor."

"Connor did fall in love. Luckily, he didn't bring her back," I said.

"Who was she, blondie?"

Leo came in the room before I had to explain myself.

"Hey guys, Annabeth said we should travel by air."

Leo went to work and the ship started to climb until we were high enough in the sky. I grabbed onto a pole for support. Once the ship was stable, I walked over to the side of the deck and puked. When I came back over, Coach Hedge bleated, "What's the matter kid? Can't handle a simple ride?"

I only glared at him until he started prating on about working out. He said he could bench press more than me. Of course, I had to prove him wrong. The two of us left Leo's side and went to the mess hall. It wasn't exactly bench pressing, it was _who can lift the heaviest freaking thing on the ship_.

Hazel, Leo, Jason, Drew, Connor, Piper, and Frank came to watch the display. I shouldn't have given in, but I didn't want a goat to beat me.

Coach Hedge picked up a bench and started to do arm curls with it. "Top that, cupcake."

"You're being ridiculous," said Piper.

I ignored her, to my detriment, and picked up the whole table and lifted it over my head doing bicep extensions. After Coach Hedge looked defeated, I put the table down and took a deep breath.

"I could go higher," said Coach Hedge, "but there's nothing else on this ship."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Just remember, you'll always be weaker than Frank over there," I said. Maybe that would shut the old goat up. I forget how old he was, like one hundred or something since Grover was almost thirty years old.

"Luke, that was cool," said Frank.

"Yeah, how much did that table weight?" Jason asked.

Coach Hedge said before stalking out, "Probably about two hundred pounds, custard caps."

"Well, I'm going," said Hazel. Piper followed her out.

I groaned and sat down on the bench that Coach had just lifted. I felt like my arms were going to fall off. I'm not even sure where any of that energy came from, but I wanted to beat Coach Hedge that badly.

"Hey, you never told me that you could fight so well," Jason said. "You did better than Percy, and I thought he was good."

I laughed. "I guess, but I still got knocked out."

"Luke, come on. Everyone used to say you were like the best swordsman at camp like ever," Drew said.

"Yeah, I actually taught the class since I was fifteen."

Everyone seemed really impressed about everything I did. I wasn't expecting it, and I kind of liked it. Back before I was with Kronos, I never enjoyed the praise. The one thing that kept my spirits down now was knowing that they'd miss me when I was gone.

"Oh, hey I almost forgot. I'm supposed to be on deck."

I went back upstairs and did my shift. I had to patch the sails twice because of this Hippalectryon that got confused. I always thought they were just actual myths since no God had even seen one. Plus, the head of a horse and the body of a giant rooster was pretty weird to look at.

At twelve o' clock, we started to descend upon Rome. I just hoped the mist would mask enough so that nobody would scream it _'s Captain Hook's ship_. We landed down in this big open park that wasn't too busy today—probably because it was so hot. I had already taken my coat and my shirt off. All I had left was a tee shirt, and I was still sweating.

"So, we should split up," suggested Jason, "Piper and I can stay and watch over the ship."

Annabeth said reluctantly, "And Percy and I'll go together." I felt bad for Annabeth. She looked really sick because the stress had really gotten to her. Since the beginning of the trip, all she did was lock herself away.

"Then the rest of us should go look for Nico," said Leo.

I shook my head. "Drew, Connor, and I aren't part of the prophecy. We can't join in your quest."

"Luke's right, only the seven," confirmed Percy.

"So then Frank and Leo will go with me," Hazel said awkwardly. It was like there was something going on between them. I knew Hazel and Frank were dating, but how Leo fit into this was a mystery.

Drew, Connor, and I waited on the deck for something to happen. At one point Drew and Connor went off for gelato and Starbucks. I asked for one of those cooler things, but I got another San Pellegrino.

Piper and Jason decided to go on a date twenty feet from the boat where Coach Hedge could watch them. I was surprised that he even let them stand within two feet of each other.

Within a short amount of time, Percy came back on the ship. I was afraid he'd say Annabeth got killed or something terrible like that. Instead, he took me below deck.

"Luke, Reyna's arriving at Camp Half-Blood."

"How'd you know?"

"Piper; she can see things in her sword."

I sighed. I thought I'd have some more time than this.

"We might be able to get the statue back in time. Just wait, Luke."

I shook my head. "No, I've got to go. Besides, breaking an oath is worse than death."

"How are you getting back?"

"Teleportation. Hermes get from place to place with it. I figured out how to do it too."

Percy and I stood there silently. I wasn't sure what to say next. I could have just said goodbye or given some advice, but I wasn't prepared.

"Luke, I wanted to know if you think all of this will work. I mean, the Gods have been using us this whole time, and it's never going to stop. I'm starting to lose faith."

I sighed. "Whatever happens happens, but you don't want to live in a world ruled by Titans. Don't let yourself get too caught up in the Gods' problems. It's all politics and war. If you think about things too much, you'll get upset. Goodbye."

With a snap of my fingers, I was back at Camp Half-Blood. Unlike usual, it was quiet and nobody was on the field. I walked down to the lake, since I had some time before I'd die.

Gods, why did I want to tear all of this down? This was my home, and it wasn't a bad one either.

"Luke, what happened?" I turned around. Clarisse was coming up the pathway. "Is anyone dead?"

I shook my head. "No, they're still on their mission. You ready for the Roman invasion?"

Clarisse regained her tough exterior and glared. "Of course, you wuss. I'm going to spear me some Romans."

I laughed wearily. "Kill some for me, will ya?"

Clarisse said concerned again, "Luke, you say that like you're not going to be around for the battle. You're going to be there right?"

I shook my head and brushed the hair out of my eyes. Since the mission, my hair had grown out. It was a little irritating.

I got up and started to walk towards the borders. Clarisse followed close behind.

"What are you doing?" she asked angrily.

"I'm going to turn myself into the Romans so that they won't attack for a while."

Clarisse rushed up and hugged me tightly. "Gods Luke. I'm so sorry."

I couldn't believe it. Clarisse the bruiser was actually hugging me. Out of everyone I knew, she had been the nicest to me since coming back to life.

"Gods, is this the only reason you were brought back to life?" she cried.

"What?"

"The reason you were brought back to life. You asked me why you were alive. This had to be why."

"I guess. Maybe my destiny will always be to die."

Clarisse said, "You're not going alone."

"I wasn't going to stop you, but thanks, Clarisse."

The two of us walked through the forest together. Clarisse put her arm around me since she was so tall.

All the time we walked, I slunk down more. When I tripped on a log, Clarisse helped me back up.

Today, there were no monsters around. I was kind of surprised. A couple monsters might have actually cheered me up because I was so nervous. Fighting with knowledge that you could survive—even by the slimmest of chances—was easier than dying without any chance of surviving.

"Luke," said Clarisse softly.

"Yeah?"

"When you go in there, keep you head up high. Don't let them kill your spirit too. Make them look you in the eye when you die."

I nodded solemnly. "You're right. Thanks for coming with me."

We finally made it near a hill where the Romans were camped out. I hugged Clarisse before heading into the fire alone.


	7. Chapter 7 - Octavian Wins

**_Chapter 7_**

 ** _Octavian Wins_**

I felt nervous as I entered the Romans' camp. It was kind of the same feeling as not moving my hand from over a fire. You obviously want to run, and your instincts tell you to, but you have to endure the stress and pain.

Everyone in the camp stared at me and a couple guards even drew their swords, but they let me pass. I recognized a couple of Jason's friends. I saw Reyna too, but she didn't say anything. I walked over to the tent at the end since it had to be Octavian's. Styx, I really felt like bolting now.

"Octavian," I called out.

Octavian rushed out of his tent with his helmet on sideways and his toga hiked up. He looked very discombobulated. Under normal circumstances, I would have cracked a joke.

"What do you want?" Octavian croaked.

I felt like the air had been knocked out of my lungs. My palms started to feel sweaty and my knees were quivering. I couldn't say anything, especially since it would spell death.

"Spit it out, or we shall kill you."

"I'm here to negotiate with you, in private."

A couple guards scoffed, but Octavian dismissed them.

"What is it, child of Mercury?" asked Octavian rather uninterested.

"We need more time, Octavian. Hold off the attacks."

Octavian laughed mirthlessly. "Nothing you say will change my opinion."

"What if I turn myself in?"

"Alight," he said, masking his excitement, "we'll return to Camp Jupiter and proceed with the trial." He shouted, "Have him tied up."

Two of the soldiers grabbed my arms and tied them behind my back before shoving me to the ground. "Stay here," commanded Octavian."

I didn't argue and waited as they packed up everything. A couple centurions whispered insults and taunts as they passed by. Most of it was dumb like _Kronos is a wuss_ or _Greeks are pathetic_. Some of them took selfies while standing on top of me. A few soldiers even kicked me. It was degrading.

By the time they were finished packing, I was pretty pissed off, but I knew better than to respond. I guess, now, I could relate with Coach Hedge wanting to hit everything in sight.

I was forced into Reyna's SUV and forced to sit in between the demigod with red lips and this guy with a dove tattoo. I tried to avoid making eye contact with any of them, but it was hard since Reyna started talking to me.

"Luke, you're not um—you're not cold are you? Nor you, Michel, Dakota?"

 _Oh, no I'm not cold, just really uncomfortable because I'm surrounded by six bloodthirsty guys! Did I mention that I'm going to die?_

Dakota, the red-lipped, replied, "No, I'm fine. Michael?"

"Just fine," he said cordially.

I wanted to scream at them to stop acting so normal, but I didn't because Dakota looked like he could knock all of my teeth out.

Sometime through the mountains, Dakota and Michael fell asleep with their heads on the window. The rest we on their phones and tablets. I wondered if they had monster firewalls. Probably, since the Romans had time to perfect things.

Reyna asked, "How is the mission going?"

I was almost asleep, myself.

"Luke."

I sat up abruptly.

"What'd ya say?" I asked instinctively before answering, "I don't know. I had to surrender before we even got the dumb statue."

Reyna sighed. I could see from the rear view mirror that she was weary. "You know that you're buying a lot of time to get the statue back?" said Reyna.

"Sure, I know. I'm just pissed off that the Romans hate the Greeks so much."

"You fired a cannon on our city."

"Technically, but the Eidolons made Leo do it. So, you should be mad at Gaea."

Why was I talking to her? We weren't friends, but we sounded like a couple that was bickering about paint colors for a bathroom. Styx, this was so confusing.

At one point, I had to go to the bathroom really badly—yes, I'm bad at holding it—and Reyna stopped the car. She untied me since she knew I wasn't going to run. I tried to enjoy the scenery before I was forced back into that death trap.

I went behind this big thick pine tree so that no one could see me from the roadside. I undid my zipper and started to relieve myself. It felt like someone was watching me, but then again, Reyna was probably watching. I caught a glimpse of something white dart out from the bush. Gods, I must be going crazy because I could have sworn that Thalia was here. I wished she was here.

When I got back in the car, Reyna started asking me how I felt, and told me how she thought I felt. I shut down. Nothing on the inside, nothing on the outside. I was a rock… that was about to crack.

"Luke, you know what you're facing, right?"

"Yes, I do. Octavian's got a small physique, big ego. He's going to really make a spectacle out of me."

"No, I meant about dying."

"I died once before. I don't see much of a difference. Wasn't expecting to live then, not expecting to live now."

That wasn't true. I was scared. How was I supposed to come to terms with this? I think I was braver the last time I died because I wasn't anticipating anything.

For once, I wished I could fall asleep. Throughout my time on the Argo II, all I did was sleep through battles. Now, I couldn't even pretend to fall asleep. I was wide awake. My stomach started to growl, but I didn't eat because I probably would have vomited.

By the next morning, we were back in Ohio. The guys had all left to go to Tim Hortons. Reyna asked me if I wanted anything. I still didn't feel like eating so I told her to bring back some sleeping pills.

"Hey Greek! Didn't try to go anywhere, huh?" said one guy who got in the far back of the SUV. The rest coming in made cracks like that. Luckily, I fell asleep quickly.

 **. . .**

Well, I woke up back at Camp Jupiter and I was going to get killed. I wished that Octavian would have just killed me on spot like a normal person. I would have rather died back in New York with my friends. I was pissed off at him out of everyone. He was willing to hurt so many people on both sides just to keep up a war that gave him power. I wanted to get at his throat.

I couldn't explain to you how much rage I've hidden, here and in general. It was weird; I've always been angry, since I was little. There was never really an outlet. Sure, I was a great swordsman, but it just contributed to the anger. And all of that anger just destroyed me. I wished I wasn't so angry, especially before I died.

The first thing Octavian did was lead a parade through New Rome. I had to follow behind the SUV while people pelted me with vegetables. I'm pretty sure that a few guys throwing the vegetables were the guys whom I fought the first time. When we got back to the stables, Octavian brought me to the side where he hosed the vegetables off of me. The water was freezing cold so I started to shiver. He was way too happy about making me suffer. I had to stop myself from strangling him.

After Octavian was done, the guards put me back in my old cell. It was dark and cold. I ended up taking off my shirt so that it could dry. I kept my jeans on, but it was pretty uncomfortable because they felt heavy and rough.

A couple hours later, Reyna came in my cell. "Listen, I'm sorry about Octavian."

I looked away.

"Come on. I wasn't lying to you. I told you what would happen."

I shifted on my bed. Well, it wasn't really a bed, just a dumb plank of wood.

"Look, I just want to die and hopefully fast," I said.

"Luke, I'm trying to make things better before you die. I'm sorry."

"I don't care about how many times people say sorry. I just want change. I wish you'd just stand up to Octavian, and end this."

"It doesn't always work that way."

"Why?"

"Because there are rules and considerations. Not all of us can throw our lives away."

"Is it worth following the rules if you're following someone into madness?"

"No, but I have responsibilities. I have to think about my friends' lives. I can understand a lot of things you've done, but I can't be like you."

"But a lot of your friends are going to die."

"I'll find another way to stop Octavian. There are other ways to stop crazy leaders."

"Ok, I guess you're right," I said defeated.

Reyna held my hand in hers. I couldn't help but smile a bit. Just then, she pulled out a bag of beef jerky. "I thought you deserved something better than old bread from the restaurant before you die. Sorry you don't get a choice of your last meal."

I laughed weakly, and said "Thanks, and ew."

Dear Gods, I hoped we weren't falling in love. I knew how these things turned out every time: Helen of Troy and Paris of Sparta, Oedipus and Jocasta, Romeo and Juliet, and everyone in Star Wars. It wouldn't work, plus I was going to die today, or tonight. I wasn't entirely sure.

"Will you stay around when I—you know—kick the bucket?"

"I will, Luke."

Before I could stop her, she kissed me. It was a really passionate one and everything, but I kind of just sat there awkwardly. I didn't feel like the guy kissing the girl, but the guy friend watching the guy and girl kiss.

Finally, Reyna stopped to breathe. "You're not into me at all, are you?"

"It's not that. There was this one girl I used to be into, we hadn't spoken since I was fourteen, but we never settled things. I just don't feel right."

"Oh, I understand," Reyna said disappointed. "I promise you that your sacrifice won't be for nothing."

"Thanks, Reyna."

Once she had left, I peeled open the bag of jerky and took a bite. It wasn't very good. I was going to die with food stuck in my teeth. Not a pretty way to go, but I'm sure there are worse ways to die. At least I wasn't Elvis Presley.

.

Later that night, two of the guards took me out of my cell and brought me out where there was a large crowed. I had to trudge through the crowd, stripped of my dignity. The torches cast light onto people's faces, making them resemble Giants and beasts, not humans.

As we drew near, I could see Octavian's smug face. I hunched down further and tried to avoid people's glances.

"Luke Castellan, you are to receive the death penalty for the disruption of peace in New Rome," Octavian shouted from the top of the staircase.

Then he addressed the crowd. "The Greeks sent rebels to bring down the mighty Romans. When we responded, they surrendered their most important demigod as an olive branch." He spread his arms out like a flying squirrel, and continued, "How pathetic. The Greeks won't even fight. That is cowardice."

I couldn't believe this guy. He should have been a thespian instead of a dictator.

"I, Octavian, promise you that in due time we will strike. However, for now we must bide our time and accept what has been given to us."

What? I'm not good enough? I suppose Octavian wants ten Greek demigods served with a side of large french fries to appease the Romans.

I saw Octavian's knife come out from his robes. My heart skipped a beat, but I wasn't freaking out. I should have been, but I was too exhausted. I just hoped he wasn't going to read a prophecy right after he killed me.

After glancing at me, Octavian looked away for a moment and gulped before screwing his face into counterfeit braveness. Even from afar, that coward was afraid of me, but he gloated, "Luke, you should know that you're only delayed the inevitable."

"Not a chance, Octavian. My friends will get the statue back, and the war between Greeks and Romans will be averted."

"Believe what you will. Guards, have him bound!"

Michael slammed the hilt of his sword into my side, knocking me to the ground. There was a brief moment where I almost passed out, but I came back as the guards started to kick and spit on me. It was the grossest thing ever. I wondered if anyone at Camp Half-Blood would be this cruel.

Larry mocked, "Without Kronos, you're just a man."

I felt like saying _you're just a man_ , but he wasn't even a man. He was a kid.

"Traitor to mankind," Dakota shouted. The crowd echoed him.

"Little Luke, all alone. Do you miss your mommy?" another guard chortled.

I looked for Reyna but she wasn't around. I hoped that I just couldn't see her, but you and me both knew the truth. She wasn't there, and I was a schmuck for thinking that she'd care about me.

Michael, taking pity on me, dragged me onto this stone platform. It wasn't exactly a table, but a rectangle that came up a foot or two.

After I was tied so there was no way I could get at him, Octavian stood over me. "Do you feel alone, Luke?"

I just looked up at the ceiling of the temple. I would have rather seen the sky before I died. Instead I got to see a revealing mural of Zeus's Roman counterpart. Great view.

"I really have won," Octavian mused to himself.

I wished he'd just kill me and end my suffering, instead of dragging this out. He was a like a child.

"Tell me that I've won."

"What?" I said incredulously.

Octavian got up closer to my face. I grimaced because his breath smelled like he had eaten something really garlicky. Pasta? Piccata? Whatever it was, it was definitely better than the teriyaki beef jerky I had. I struggled to turn away from him, but there wasn't much room to move.

Octavian grabbed my hair and yanked up so that I was nose to nose with the weirdo. He whispered, "Just say it, and I'll end it all. You won't have to worry about Reyna not being here, the fate of the Greeks, or anything. Just tell me that I've won."

I wanted to say that I said something snarky and cutting, that I faced death stoically, but that wasn't true. The truth was that Octavian had successfully destroyed me. I no longer had any snappy comebacks. I didn't feel brave like Clarisse told me to be. I was going to die two thousand, nine hundred and sixty eight miles away from home without a single person I loved. So, I chose to acquiesce. Talk about downer ending.

"You—won," I said with difficulty.

Octavian shook his head. "That's not good enough, Luke. I want everyone to hear it. I want to remember the moment I killed Kronos."

I cried, "You won, Octavian."

He smiled. "You're absolutely right."

The last thing I remembered was Octavian raising his knife over my head and plunging it down. I don't remember any pain.


	8. Chapter 8 -Pluto Gives Me Another Chance

_**Part 2**_

 _ **Chapter 8**_

 ** _Pluto Gives Me Another Chance_**

I think I've already told you enough times about how I woke up in a really unattractive way. So, I'll just skip to the part where I found myself outside of the DOA Recording Studio in the gutter.

The weird part was that I didn't feel terrible. I felt really good, like after a really long sleep. I could see the sun coming up the horizon and it made me happy. That was definitely a first.

"Come on, Luke," a deep voice bellowed.

"Huh?"

I thought it was Hades for a moment, but this guy was wearing a toga over a power suit and he had short hair like all the Romans.

"Get up now, Luke."

"wh-Why?"

"Don't question me."

Hades or Pluto grabbed me by the back of my neck. His spindly fingers made me convulse.

I choked out, "Wait, wait what are—"

Before I could protest, Pluto sprinted through the walls of the DOA Recording Studio. I could not longer see anything and I couldn't really feel anything, though I knew we were moving really fast. When I tried to yell, nothing came out. I realized that we were shadow traveling.

I could see light and then Pluto threw me through what looked like a small rift in the darkness. As soon as I got through, it felt like the room materialized around me, not me getting tossed in.

Thank the Gods, I was back on the Argo II. I couldn't say just how much I missed this place. The first thing I did was puke over the side of the railing.

"Is that how you always say hello, cupcake?"

"Is that how you always hide your feelings?"

Coach Hedge refused to answer me. Just then, Hazel and Nico walked up.

"Hey, I met your dad."

Nico asked, "Did he say anything?"

I shook my head. "No, he just nearly choked me to death."

"Typical dad," replied Nico.

Again, I had so many questions buzzing around in my head. I felt like if I asked the wrong one, it would waste time. Like why was Nico here? That must have meant that some part of the mission went right.

"So, what happened with Annabeth's mission?"

"They're gone."

"What'd you mean?"

"They're in Tartarus, blondie," said Coach, less enthused and actually quite grimly.

"Oh, Gods," I said quietly. "What are we doing then?"

Nico spoke up: "We're going to get them back before we deliver the Athena Parthanos back."

"Don't we have to get it back now?"

"We have a week."

"That I bought with my life."

Coach Hedge put his hand on my shoulder and said, "I'm sorry kid. I know you went through a lot, but we can't afford to lose them."

I hated to say it, but I was mad at them. I burst out saying: "I don't want Percy and Annabeth in Tartarus, but we can't ignore the problem at hand."

"Relax Luke, we're going to get Annabeth and Percy back and save the day," said Leo as he came back from the helm.

"Really? Where are we even going?" I said, growing even more frustrated. I felt like ripping out my hair and yelling. "I mean, did you even have a plan? Or were were just going to half ass it," I said real nastily.

Everyone gave me strange, maybe even judgmental looks. I took a deep breath and calmed down. I was being an asshole all over again. "I'm sorry. Let's go save Percy and Annabeth."

"Well, we're glad to have you back," said Hazel. I couldn't tell if she was lying or not since I ruined the whole reunion thing. I was such an asshole.

"Look out!" shouted someone from in the clouds. Everyone scattered as a large mass came hurdling at the ship.

Coach Hedge shouted, "Shoot it, God damn it!"

A Pegasus landed on the deck with a crash that shook the ship. Reyna quickly dismounted. I ran forward. "What happened?"

"Luke, you're alive," she said surprised.

"Doesn't matter. Are you alright?"

She shook her head. "No, I'm not alright. Scipio was attacked by the Griffin."

I looked down at the Pegasus, whose face was contorted in pain. He wasn't going to make it and Reyna seemed to know that too because she took out her knife shakily.

I put my arm out and said, "You don't have to do it."

"No I have to do it. He's mine, and I was the one who put him through all of this."

Reyna knelt down and began to sob. I turned away until she had finished. The only thing left was a pile of ashes. I bent down and hugged Reyna quickly before standing back up. Hazel helped Reyna to the infirmary. The rest of us stood on the deck a little dazed from the whole thing.

"Hey, Castellan! I saw that look in your eye. Don't you dare do anything," Coach Hedge bleated.

"Do you really think I'd try something now of all times?" I said with false anger. I was actually embarrassed.

Coach said nothing, but he exchanged eye contact with Leo and Nico.

"Your silence speaks volumes," I grumbled before heading below deck.

Other than a few missing Newports, nobody had touched anything in my room, surprisingly. I grabbed some clothes and headed down to the shower. After I turned on the tap, I stripped down and waited for the water to heat up.

At Camp Half-Blood, I never looked forward to showers since it meant freezing water, awkward conversations, and zero privacy. Right now, I was really looking forward to taking one since I hadn't had a shower since three days before my death, unless you counted Octavian hosing me down.

I propped my arm up against the wall for support and let the water run over my head. It felt great since I was so tense.

I started to zone out and my thoughts flitted from Gaea to Penelope to New Rome's independent coffee shops. New Rome made me think of Octavian. I started to hear his taunts over and over in my head. Without thinking, I slammed my fist into the wall like an idiot. _Smart, Luke. Now, how are you going to explain the big dent in the wall?_

I tried to relax and think about Thalia. I was absolutely sure that she was the one who dragged me to Camp Half-Blood, and that she was watching me when I was heading back to New Rome to be executed. Then I got the awful picture of Octavian holding his giant knife over my chest right before I was executed.

I started to remember when I was in the jail cell the first time. Octavian was holding a knife to. . . well you don't want to know what. . . and was threatening to cut it off. That damn near scared me to death.

My breathing became labored and my senses were all screwed up because it felt like a Minotaur was chasing me. In reality, I was in one of the safest places possible for a demigod. So, why was I so stressed? I was an experienced demigod, I should have mastered control over my nerves by now.

" _Styx_ ," I groaned before washing the conditioner out of my hair.

I didn't think I could tell anyone about it. In fact, I didn't even think I could acknowledge that I was afraid of Octavian. I spent five more minutes in the shower so I didn't have to know if I was actually crying or not.

After that, I turned off the water and toweled off quickly before throwing on a pair of boxers. As I put on a pair of jeans, I noticed that I had a new scar on my chest. It looked kinda painful.

"Luke?" mumbled Piper, who still had one eye shut. "What are you doing here, and alive?"

"I came back to life again. What are you doing up?" I asked quietly.

"I needed to use the bathroom."

I shifted uncomfortably. "I'll let you have some privacy then."

I threw on my shirt and headed to the mess hall. Since Daedalus's fridge gave you whatever you wanted, I wished for a bourbon and a peanut butter jelly sandwich. I only got a sandwich. That was mildly depressing.

I went back to the tables and ate alone. After a few minutes, I heard footsteps and voices.

"Daddy's really pissing me off. He doesn't understand why I can't come home. I feel like he should get that we're on a non-stop mission but—Luke!" Drew exclaimed.

"Hey, guys."

I swung my legs over the side, prepared to stand. Connor tackled into me, and the two of us crashed to the ground.

"Get up, Connor. I'm sure Luke doesn't want you on top of him."

Connor stood with a huge grin on his face. "I can't believe this is real."

"Luke, you're alive. _Styx_ , what happened?"

"I think Pluto gave me another chance."


	9. Chapter 9 - The Popcorn God

**_Chapter 9_**

 _ **The Popcorn God Tries to Kill Us**_

I decided to be reasonable since everyone was mourning the loss of our two friends. I would have been a jerk if I just pissed and moaned about it. Maybe, Percy would have been a little proud that I controlled my anger.

We were contemplating what to do, and Nico said they could shadow travel to Camp Half-Blood once we got Percy and Annabeth back. For now, Reyna was trying to recoup on the ship.

Over the next few days, I kept thinking about Reyna kissing me in my jail cell. Half of me liked it, but the other half still missed Thalia. I really wanted to be with her, but I also wanted to date Reyna. It couldn't have hurt to have a short date, right? I deserved to not be alone for a little while.

Right now, Reyna and I were in the armory since I had taken the shift early this morning. Turns out, she liked weapons just as much as me. After sucking face, I leaned back against the wall and Reyna curled up in my arms.

"Gods, I haven't been so happy in like… forever," I mused.

Reyna looked up at me. "Me too. You know, I was never very happy before either. My home life wasn't the nicest, and Circe's island got destroyed. When I got to Camp Jupiter, I made a few friends and I got close with Jason, but now he's with Piper."

"I'm glad I can make you feel better."

I still wanted to ask her why she wasn't there, but I was afraid that I'd offend her or something. I never really had long term relationships because I'd say something stupid. I really didn't want to chance it this time.

"Luke."

"Yeah?"

"I wanted to explain what happened in New Rome. I know you probably think I deserted you, but that's not what happened. Octavian overheard our conversation in the jail cell and made me stay away."

"Octavian's a real monster," I said as I lit up a Newport.

Reyna coughed.

"Sorry, want me to put it out?"

She shook her head. "No, I'm fine. I'm just glad you understand."

"Yeah, of course. Hey, what did Octavian do after I died? He didn't do anything embarrassing, right?"

"He read a fake prophecy."

Styx, I was hoping that he wouldn't do that.

Reyna shifted her hand over mine. "Listen, I felt and still feel horrible about letting Octavian kill you. After everyone had left, I decided to go and see your body. Leila and Dakota came with me too."

"Why?" I asked.

"Because I thought you deserved a proper burial."

I remembered what Penelope had said. Maybe, a hero's burial was important to the Romans. Personally, I wished that Reyna hadn't chanced being caught, just for me.

"After seeing your face, I just broke down and cried. You were so resigned. I thought it was depressing."

I hugged Reyna tightly, who was now sobbing into my shoulder.

"After the three of us undid the ropes, we turned around around because we thought we heard someone coming up. When we turned back, your body was gone. I didn't know what to make of it."

"Wow, that's really weird."

I tried to cheer Reyna up by asking, "Hey, who's your Godly parent, anyway?"

"Bellona. She's the Goddess of war."

"That's why you're such a good praetor?"

She laughed. It was the first time I heard her laugh, and it was a really pretty one.

"Gods, you make me so happy," I repeated. Maybe I was being stupid, but I truly did like her.

"Hey, you know I can teleport?" I said.

"Could we get the statue back without Nico?"

I shrugged. "I've never tried it out on more than myself."

Reyna started to get excited. "What if you practiced from a short distance."

"It's worth a shot."

Reyna led me to the corridor where the statue was. It was a lot smaller than I expected, but it was still big.

"Ok, we're right over Malta. Why don't you try teleporting to Circe's second spa in Valletta."

"Ok." I gulped and grasped the base of the statue. "Wish me luck." I snapped my fingers and landed in this field. It looked like of like the National Mall in D.C. because I was surrounded by large, well lit buildings that were off in the distance.

I took a breather before imagining the Argo II. I had to really concentrate since I didn't want to break off Athena's head. Before I could leave, someone called my name.

I spun around. A woman in a linen shirt and tight pineapple embroidered shorts approached me. Sure she was dressed like a middle aged mother, but she was way too elegant to be a mortal. She was flickering too. Sometimes she was the tourist, sometimes she was dressed in a white gown and a leopard cape. It was Hera.

"Luke, before you say anything, I'd like to explain and apologize. In an attempt to save our entire world, I switched Percy and Jason. You already knew that, but I realized that they weren't enough."

She said, "Dear, you needed to buy more time to get the statue back, and you needed to keep Percy from falling off the wagon."

I felt like I was getting used again, but I didn't say anything since she was right. I did need to help them.

"I'm sorry, Luke. When you die, I promise to count the two extra times you die as your second lives."

"So, am I going to die again?"

"Yes, but I don't know for how long. You may live for years, perhaps decades."

"Is there anything else?"

"Yes, drink some nectar before you try to transport the statue back."

She conjured up a goblet and handed it to me.

"Not to be picky, but this is wine."

Hera shook her head and said, "Oh." The contents of the goblet disappeared and were replaced with nectar.

"Thanks."

I drank it up.

The goblet disappeared and Hera started to glow. "Good luck, dear. What happens now is up to you."

I closed my eyes as the Goddess disappeared in golden blaze. That went better than expected. I grabbed the statue and tried again. This time, I felt like the world was tearing me apart. My body started to feel very heavy until all the pressure disappeared instantly. I was back on the Argo II and I hadn't defaced a priceless artifact.

Reyna ran up to me and hugged me. I felt a little bit embarrassed since I was drenched with sweat.

The rest of the gang was in the corridor too. I was glad I didn't crush any of them.

"I knew you could do it."

"Thanks," I said before collapsing to my knees in exhaustion.

"Oh, Gods. Get him to the infirmary."

I tried to argue, saying: "I'm fine really, just let me catch my breath."

Reyna shook her head. "Don't listen to Luke. He's being stupid."

Maybe she was right, I didn't even have enough strength to prop myself up. Frank and Jason carried me across the hall to the infirmary and dropped me into one of the beds.

Jason suggested using nectar and Hazel was about to get some when I stopped her. "I already had some before I transported the statue back. Get some gatorade and pasta."

"You're like a walking Web MD," joked Leo.

"Son of Hermes."

Hazel got closer. "Are you sure you're alright? You look really weak and you're sweating a lot."

I nodded.

"Not to ruin the mood, blondie, but how are you going to get the statue all the way back to Camp Half-Blood if you got winded from this little trip?" asked Coach Hedge.

"I don't know. We could move the statue back over a couple trips."

"So, who's going to go?" asked Nico.

"I'll go since I need to speak to the Romans," suggested Reyna

Coach Hedge proclaimed, "And I'll go so I can see my kid's birth. Plus, I need to make sure you guys don't try anything."

"Oh, congrats on the kid," I mumbled since I was half asleep.

"Thanks. I won't beat you senseless for sneaking off with Reyna tonight. But be warned you delinquents, I won't go easy again," said Coach Hedge, pointing his bat at everyone.

Jason and Piper laughed uneasily.

After I had convinced the gang that I was ok, I went back to my cabin and stripped before crawling into bed. The flannel sheets and soft pillow felt great compared to my plank at Camp Jupiter. It didn't take long to fall asleep.

.

The next morning, I took a shower and packed up before meeting in the mess hall with Coach Hedge, Reyna, Piper, Jason, and Frank. We ate quietly, except for Coach Hedge who was humming _Come on Home_ as he munched on his forest berry pancakes.

I ate an omelet from Daedalus's fridge. Each bite went down like a rock because I was feeling nervous.

I didn't want to mention that I had another panic attack this morning, in the showers. It was worse than the last one, and Piper had heard me. It took forever to convince her that I was ok.

As we ate, Jason pulled out a map.

"I was working late at night and I figured out a good plan for you. What you'll need to do is travel to Naples, then Corsica. Once you're there, you'll be able to head to Monaco."

"Sounds like a backpacking trip across Europe," I said.

Coach Hedge said, "Exactly why I have to come along."

"Once you're there, you can get into France, you'll travel up from Paris to Falmouth, England. You can take a barge to Maine and get to Camp Half-Blood."

"Uh, thanks Jason," I said.

"How long do you think this'll take?"

"As much time as you need, as long as you make it to the barge by nine o' clock tomorrow. That leaves you twenty five hours."

"Great, we better get going," I said before getting up. On my way to the bathroom, Jason stopped me.

"Hey, Luke."

"Yeah, what's up?"

Jason gulped. "So, you're dating Reyna now?"

"Mm hm. It's not very serious or anything though."

"Why not?" Jason asked curiously.

 _Styx_ , I couldn't tell him that I was still into Thalia. It was true, but I didn't know how he'd take it. _I want to hook up with your sister_ , that's a great thing to tell somebody if you wanted to get whacked in the stones.

"Luke? You there man?"

"Uh, yeah. I just don't know how I feel about Reyna."

"Scared of relationships?" Jason said straight faced and not jokingly. I was glad that he wasn't joking around. I already felt like things were getting weird.

"No, I'm just not—I'm into—gah!" I leaned against the wall and groaned. "I still really like your sister, like _really_ like her."

Jason turned red with embarrassment and said, "Well, I'm not sure what to say."

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought it up."

I slunk away to the bathroom before going back to the galley. Everyone except for Jason was there. I said, "By the way, could you guys make sure Connor and Drew are ok? I was supposed to watch over them."

Nico nodded. "I'll do my best so that everyone makes it back alive."

I hoped dead boy was good at keeping things alive.

I put one arm around Reyna and the other on the statue. Coach Hedge jumped on my back, screaming: "No time to wait, cupcakes!"

It was kind of hard to focus on getting up to Naples, but I did it. This was 100% harder than before because of the added weight. It felt like I was going to pass out before we even made it through the rift. I had to keep going, or we'd be stuck and die.

In a flash, we appeared in the courtyard of a castle. I didn't think we'd make it, but we did. Reyna and Coach helped me over to a bench before I could pass out.

"Are you ok? How long do we need to stay?" asked Reyna.

"A couple minutes. I did the same with the trial run yesterday. We can rest when we get closer. You guys ok?"

Coach Hedge nodded. "Felt more awesome than the Matterhorn at Disney."

"I'm a little winded," said Reyna.

I took out a piece of ambrosia from my backpack and ate it before standing up. It tasted different this time, like the brisket from Camp Half-Blood. Maybe I was starting to get feelings for that place.

"Wait, Luke."

"Come on, we don't have time to lose."

We got in the same position, which looked like a goofy tourist photo, and teleported onto a cliff overlooking the bluest ocean I had ever seen.

Reyna said, "Well this is romantic." I couldn't tell if she was serious because she was looking down like she was afraid of heights. I had to admit that this place was too placid.

"Should we rest now?"

Coach Hedge sniffed the air. "I don't trust the ocean in the old world. It's not safe." He began to kick up dirt with his hooves.

I was tired, sweaty, my hair was blown in my face, but I was still in a good mood. "Wanna try for one more romantic location?" I asked with a grin on my face.

"Luke, don't overdo it. We have time."

"I'd rather crash later. It's what I usually do."

Reyna smiled. "Well, I guess I'd rather not be here."

The good news was that we didn't die getting to Monaco. The bad news was that I felt like I bench pressed way too much and then did a triathlon before entering one of those Ironman races.

I ran over to a trashcan and lost my lunch, or breakfast that is.

"Hey blondie. Is that all you ever do?"

Once I had finished, I was almost too weak to drag myself over to them. "Where are we?"

Reyna read from a sign, "Princess Grace Botanical Gardens. You really did pick a romantic place."

"Yep, a garden that's almost ninety degrees and really humid was exactly what I was going for."

Reyna didn't hear my sarcasm and started to walk down the path. I hobbled after her. Hopefully, the mortals would think that the statue was just part of the garden.

"You know, back at Circe's spa, I did a lot of the gardening. It was always so relaxing."

She pointed to this patch of small pink flowers. They were small and had thin petals. They way they looked in the light made me feel kind of trippy.

"Do you know what those are?"

I shook my head. "Sorry, never really got around to smelling the roses before."

"It's Delosperma cooperi or Cooper's Iceplant. According to some, it's the flower of people with a cold exterior and a warm inside."

"That means you, blondie," said Coach Hedge.

Even though it killed the moment, I was glad Coach stopped me because I almost said something stupid. I thought she was talking about herself because I didn't think I had a cold exterior. I thought I was lovable and funny.

"Right, thanks Reyna."

I leaned in and kissed her to Coach Hedge's anger. What was he going to do? Hit me? He needed me unharmed in order to get back.

"Alright you two. Let's keep going. I'm sure you're _so_ exhausted, Luke."

"Yeah, we should," I said now getting serious, "it's weird that we haven't been attacked yet."

The three of us decided to go into the city to get something to eat. We tried to keep a low profile by going to a bar. The three of us had drinks since:

1\. We were all of age in Monaco;

2\. We were not with our friends who were minors;

3\. We were all very unnerved from teleporting all morning.

I ordered some sort of chicken and rice, Reyna got veal piccata, and Coach Hedge got a steak tartar. He would order expensive raw steak.

"So, when should we leave?" asked Reyna.

"We still have to get to Paris—"

"We do not stop in Paris. We do not split up in Paris. We do not reenact a romantic French movie in Paris," said Coach angrily, "We stop when we get to England. Comprenez vous?"

"Ok, ok, then we'll get to Paris around four o' clock, break until seven and get to Falmouth and stay at a hotel. We'll get on the boat around eight o' clock tomorrow," I said.

"So, we have a couple hours to sightsee?" asked Reyna.

"Yeah sure, where do you guys want to go?"

Coach Hedge pulled out a crumbled pamphlet. "I found this in the bathroom. I figured we could go to the Napoleon Museum since it's got guns and stuff. Napoleon was one of the greatest children of Hades. You pansies need some real life experience."

Reyna rolled her eyes and I snorted.

Then Coach handed me a small square packet under the table. "Did you find this in the bathroom too?"

He nodded. "It's complimentary, blondie."

"I hate you."

.

After lunch, we went to the Napoleon Museum. Coach Hedge watched our every move. He even followed me into the bathroom and stared at me the whole time I went to the bathroom. It was really unnerving. I tried to look at the urinal, not the goat, but I couldn't relieve myself like this.

Once we got going, Coach talked about all the weapons and strategy. The only thing that shut him up was the audio tapes the museum provided.

As I started into blank space, I began to wonder why I was here. I mean for the Gods sake, I have ADHD. Why would I want to spend time in a stuffy museum with classical music playing the background. To add to that, there were so many tour guides' voices echoing around the place.

 _Luke, why aren't you back?_

I turned around, but no one was there.

Reyna looked at me and asked, "What's wrong?"

 _Get to Camp Half-Blood. You're not safe here!_

"I don't know." I looked for some sign. "We need to get out of here, though."

I tried to tell Coach Hedge, but he was too busy listening to the tour. I took off his headphones and told him what I heard.

"You're a downer, blondie. You know that?"

"Don't care. Let's just get out of here."

Before we could exit out of this dull place, a security guard approached us. He had large curly, golden beard and he was glowing. He said, "How could we let you go?"

I drew Backbiter, Reyna took out her knife, and Coach Hedge pulled out his bat.

"Look, I'd just leave if you didn't want to get killed."

He only laughed. "Demigods are so tactless. I'm a God, you moron. You can't kill me—unless you forget about me," he said almost bawling. I felt half bad for the guy.

Reyna whispered into my ear, "It's Robigo, the God of corn."

"The God of corn," I repeated stupidly. "What's he going to do? Feed us to death?"

"Close. I'm going to pop you like popcorn," he shouted.

"Oh, Gods," I muttered before charging the God of healthy snack food. Before I could slash him, a stalk of corn material in Robigo's hands. He used it like a spear to trust towards me. I dodged and my sword clashed with his spear. Backbiter started to dent a little. The corn stalk was harder than Celestial Bronze.

Reyna jumped at Robigo from the side and stabbed him in the back. The God's blood, which coincidentally looked like melted butter, oozed out. He cursed, and not at the Gods. It was legit sailor cursing.

Right as I plunged the sword into the God's stomach, two stalks erupted from the floor and snaked around my legs. I struggled against them, but they were too strong.

"Coach, talk to the plants."

"Sorry, blondie, I'm not very nature sensitive. I'm more Darwinism science." He hardly looked like a scientist or thinker.

Coach Hedge bent down and took a chomp out of one of the stalks while I tried to slice through the other. As soon as I was freed, Robigo threw Reyna into me. I got up and charged Robigo again so that we were away from some tourists coming in. Coach Hedge jumped up and shouted: "Butter up," before smacking his bat into Robigo's face, but it did nothing.

"Listen Popcorn God, why are you on Gaea's side?"

"The other God's don't respect me. Plus, I'm supposed to be Mother Earth's ally."

I dodged his spear.

"Gaea's not going to give you respect. She's trying to destroy our planet. If you join her, there will be no one to farm. There will be no one to enjoy corn. You'll be useless."

"I hate being called useless," said Robigo before slamming his spear into the ground, shaking the whole place. A sword mounted on the overhang fell right where my foot had just been.

"Come on, you're not useless. America was founded on corn and freedom. You're a national treasure. The Gods who said you were useless were wrong." I sidestepped a row of corn that popped up like one of the challenges on Chiron's gauntlet. "You can't blame everyone for a couple of jerks. Sure, the Olympians aren't great. They're prideful, vengeful, fickle, rude, dysfunctional, unhinged—"

"Luke!" shouted Reyna.

"The point is that they're the best thing we've got. There can be changes later on. Sure, the fast change that Gaea proposes sounds promising, but is this the kind of change you want?"

"I guess not."

"Don't make the same mistake I made. Trust me, it's not worth it."

Robigo's corn spear disappeared into thin air and the corn stalks receded.

"I suppose you saved me from making a fool of myself."

Just then, one more corn stalk came up from underneath me. I doubled over in pain before falling to my knees.

"What was that for?"

"Look inside the husk, insolent mortal." Robigo started to walk out the door. "Good luck faun and child of Bellona."

Coach Hedge helped me up, and Reyna started to peel back the husk. She got a bunch of corn silk on the floor around us.

"What is it?"

She pulled back the final layer revealing a pen with the logo.

"What does that mean?"

"My sister."

"What?"

"My sister is the leader of the Amazons."

"Is that bad?"

She shook her head. "It's not bad, but I'm worried. This is a warning."

"Let's just get out of here, then."

When I passed the archway, a shield fell on my head. I fell to the ground and cursed.

"That's what you get for dissing the corn God," said Coach Hedge.

I snorted. "You were the one making bad puns."

After catching our breaths, we headed back to the garden so that we could get to Paris.


	10. Chapter 10 - Hermes Helps Us

**_Chapter 10_**

 ** _Hermes Helps Us_**

Thankfully, nothing had happened to the statue while we were gone. It was still in one piece, no one graffitied it, and there was no giant pigeon poop on it. That had to be a pretty good sign, right? Wrong. Things always had to get worse.

When I snapped my fingers, we went back through the rift. This time, things felt different. Not necessarily harder, but I felt like I was going to stray off the right path. I started to pray to my dad that we'd get out of the mess, though it seemed unlikely that something would happen.

Just then, I felt a strong tug, like we were on a tow. We and the statue toppled out of the rift. I groaned as my knees slammed to the ground. I looked around me. We were on a rocky island that wasn't much larger than a baseball diamond. Waves crashed around us violently, and the wind was picking up.

We weren't safe here, and Reyna and Coach Hedge were lying on the ground. I didn't know what had happened.

Before I could process any of this, a man about thirty feet tall with lizard legs rose from the water. He had wild green hair and blue armor. I knew who he was. He was a Giant; the one that was supposed to counteract Poseidon.

I drew by sword and put myself between the Giant and my friends. "What did you do to them?" I shouted.

He threw his head back and laughed. "I thought I'd spare them a painful death. You on the other hand, will die slowly and alone because you betrayed Kronos."

Right now, I wished I had actually studied Greek history. I might have known what to do, or at least know this guy's name. That monster probably pulled us out, so I couldn't just teleport us to safety. I also knew I couldn't beat him. Maybe I could scare him away.

I ran at the Giant, attempting to slice through his leg. My sword only clanged against the scales, sending sparks around.

"Fool! Did you think you could defeat the mighty Polybotes with a sword?"

"Kinda."

I could have used some Greek fire, but we left all of it on the ship. I slid out of the way as Polybotes thrust his trident at me. It narrowly missed me and stuck into the rock, shaking from the impact.

I definitely was the ADHD child of the year, because I tried to attack him again. Polybotes only laughed and swung his arm at me, sending me sprawling across the ground. I think I cracked a rib.

Polybotes went over to his trident and pulled it out from the rock. "I can't wait to rip you apart slowly."

I tried to jump back up, but Polybotes put his foot on my stomach. I felt like the mouse that was being played with by the cat. He scooped up some water and gargled it before spitting it back in my face. I wasn't sure what he was trying to do other than to gross me out.

I felt cold and weak right now. My whole body ached, and my mind was drawing blanks.

"Polybotes!"

I looked up. My dad had appeared above the Giant's head. "Don't you have mail that's due?" Polybotes grumbled.

"Get away from my son," Hermes growled. He dove at Polybotes and knocked him into the water. I was sure that Polybotes would resurface, but he didn't.

"Luke, are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." I wiped Polybote's spit off with my sleeve. "Dad, why—what's going on?"

"A lot. None of us can watch as Olympus crumbles. I shouldn't have helped you, but we have no other choice."

"My friends aren't dead are they?"

He shook his head. "No. They'll wake in a couple hours. Get out of here, Luke. Go to Camp Half-Blood."

I nodded. "Thanks for everything, Dad."

I could have sworn I saw a smile creep across Hermes face, but I didn't spent any time looking. I got up and moved over the statue. I had to hold up the two in one arm as I teleported us to… Vatican City, Rome. Not even close to Paris or Falmouth. If I were a wuss, I would have cried.

I started to feel dizzy, like I was roofied. Gods, I didn't need this right now. I tried to wake Coach Hedge, but he only mumbled, "Gotta kill em all."

"Please, Coach, wake up!"

He slowly opened his eye before kicking his leg like a dog and settling back down.

"Why bother."

I sat down at the base of the statue and took a deep breath. I shouldn't have been alive. I couldn't complete the mission and now we were all going to die. This was all on me. I was the one who wanted to get going early. I should have just let Nico bring the statue back because he would have done it in one swift move.

My body began to ache and I was getting a splitting headache. I was also breathing really fast like I was having a heart attack. Gods! Was I having a heart attack? No, I was being stupid. I couldn't be.

I got up and stumbled over to the side of the road to get help. The last thing I remembered was losing my balance and falling into a ditch.

 **. . .**

I was officially the king of sleeping. I think I've spent over half of my time alive sleeping or passing out.

I looked over my bedside. Reyna was sitting in an arm chair.

"What time is it?"

She got up quickly and moved over to me. "It's ok, try not to strain yourself."

"No, God damn it." I stood up and immediately tripped over my own backpack. I got back up and started to throw on some clothes.

"Slow down, Luke."

"We need to get to Falmouth. Where the hell are we?"

"We're in a hotel. You were out for a long time. When we found you in that ditch, we thought you had died."

"What happened?"

"You were poisoned. I don't know how though."

"Polybotes. You guys passed out when he pulled us onto this little island."

My mind was racing. We needed to get on that barge, but I sort of knew what had happened. "We're not going to make it on the barge, are we?" I asked defeated.

Reyna shook her head. "Luke, it's not your fault. We couldn't do anything."

"We have to get to Camp Half-Blood from here, then."

"You sure, Luke?"

I nodded.

Reyna said hesitantly, "I don't know. Let me get Coach."

Reyna left the room before I could protest. I got bored waiting, so started to look around. This room got a pretty good view of St. Peter's Square. I think my mom was Catholic. I guess it didn't matter since she married an actual God.

I started to snoop around Reyna's things. I know I shouldn't have, but I was bored. She didn't have much: a pack of Winstons, chewing gum, car keys, and a Kindle. I swiped a couple of the Winstons—she wouldn't notice—and sat back down on the bed.

I'm glad that Reyna wasn't in the room because I took a whiff of my armpit, which surprisingly, did not smell terrible. Someone must have washed me when I was out. _Weird_. Oh, Gods. Did Reyna see me naked?

I looked over to my side. _Huh_ , there was a napkin on the nightstand. Someone had written all over it. I assumed Reyna was trying to figure out how to get back to Camp Half-Blood. I was so wrong.

 _I can't stand waiting like this. We need to get out of here, but Luke's still sick. I wish he'd just wake up and tell me that he's ok. Even in his sleep, Luke is on guard. He keeps moaning about Octavian in his sleep. I try to comfort him, but it only works for a short time, then he starts moaning again. Sometimes he just cries about things. Either way, I can't help Luke. I'm afraid that Octavian's crazier than I could have imagined. Gods, I feel so helpless._

I put the napkin down and laid down on the bed, hands behind my head. I hated that Reyna worried about me all the time I was out. Gods, I felt so pathetic.

I didn't have time to sulk because Coach Hedge came in the room in his human costume. "Hello, sleeping beauty," said Coach sarcastically, "Ready to get going? Or do you need more sleep because there was pea under your bed?"

"Shut up."

"Watch it, blondie. I'll take you down."

"Either fight me, or stop threatening me," I said.

.

After breakfast at Einstein's Bagels, the three of us walked towards the outskirts of the city. It was a pretty nice day. The sun was shining, there was a cool breeze, and the country side was beautiful. The heat made me feel sleepy. Still, I felt very cautious, since monsters tend to show up either when you're having the worst day ever, or when everything seems perfect.

"Hey, Luke."

"What?" I asked through a yawn.

Reyna shifted her backpack onto both shoulders. "If we get out of this, do you want to come back to New Rome with me?" she asked.

I started to blush and my hands felt clammy again.

"Eh, I got killed in New Rome—"

"You were killed on Temple Hill."

"And I'm like public enemy number one," I continued, "I don't even know what's going to happen. It's all moving so fast."

"There was a group of people protesting your death. It was like Save Shamu, except for you."

Great, my life was as important as a fish's. I slunk down and sped up a little bit to hide the embarrassment on my face. I didn't want to admit that I still had feelings for Thalia. I had no idea what I was going to do if Thalia wanted to be with me.

I spotted the statue on the side of the road. It was right where I had passed out. Coach Hedge jumped on my back as we got ready to transport the statue.

I focused my best on Camp Half-Blood. I'm not going to lie, I thought we were going to die this time. I felt the pressure of the universe on my whole body. It was worse than holding up the world for Atlas.

We finally dropped down in what looked kinda like Spain. There were a bunch of cafes and shops. I was surprised that nobody noticed the forty foot tall statue. I said dejectedly, "Hooray, I messed up again."

"Luke, don't beat yourself up. We're in America."

"Which America?"

"Latin America. San Juan to be exact. Piña coladas were invented here in the sixties"

I racked my brain for an answer to why we landed in San Juan, Puerto Rico, not Long Island, New York. It didn't sound like Long Island, New York. It didn't look like Long Island, New York. It wasn't close to Long Island, New York. And I know I didn't want to come here just to enjoy some authentic piña coladas and the local culture on summer break. _Styx_ , _I'm such an idiot_.

Reyna pulled me so that I faced her. She brushed a drooping lock of hair out of my eyes, and said, "It's not good for your heath to be this stressed."

"Alright, let's just take a break. I feel dead on the inside."

I sat back down on the base of the statue and took a deep breath. I tried not to let the doubt from Polybotes's attack set in. _Things are going well. We'll get back in time_ I told myself. _You're not a failure_.

Reyna sat down beside me and started to rub my shoulders. I started to calm down and accidentally let out a moan.

"Hey! What did I say about contact?" shouted Coach Hedge.

"It's not a big deal Coach. I'm just giving him a shoulder rub. He's tense and I'm a registered masseuse."

"Fine, me next."

The idea of her giving him a massage sent shivers down my neck.

"Luke, you're getting tense again."

"Sorry, just thinking about something grody. Hey, wanna eat?"

"You read my mind, blondie."

Reyna only shook her head. "Why are guys always thinking about food?"

"Dunno, so you think it's ok to leave the statue?"

"We've done it before," said Coach Hedge as he started to head inside the bar.

Reyna looked bothered the moment we got here. She seemed to be looking very pensively at the bar, like there was some painful memory there.

"Hey, Reyna. Are you alright?"

"No, but it's just a personal thing," she said tiredly.

I put my arm around her. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Before Reyna could say anything, Coach Hedge fell to the ground like a boulder. I let go of Reyna and ran to him. A silver dart was sticking out of him like from a James Bond movie. _Ahh!_ Something hit me directly in the neck. I stumbled as I tried to get back to Reyna, but by now, everything was starting to go dark. I fell to my knees, but I kept crawling forward.

The last thing I saw was Reyna being manhandled by some hooded figures. I wanted to rush at them and beat them up, but I couldn't.


	11. Chapter 11 - Beach Thoughts

**_Chapter 11_**

 ** _Beach Thoughts_**

I woke up feeling pretty good. That was a new thing; not feeling like complete crap in the morning. I could get used to that. I realized that we were in a pavilion that resembled a modern living room. Since the pavilion was open, I could see that we were right by the ocean. This had to be like heaven, unless it rained, but there was probably a charm to keep the rain out.

I got up from the deep leather chair that I had been sleeping in, and stretched. I walked over to the dinner table. There was a tray with assorted dried fruits and Pepsi. As I munched on some gross banana chips, I found a note pinned under a vase.

 _Reyna is safe_

 _We'll return her soon_

 _Don't try to be a hero by interfering_

 _Otherwise, you will face death_

 _Best wishes, The Hunters_

Well, I guess I didn't have anything to worry about, except the entire idea of Reyna being kidnapped. How was I supposed to be ok with my girlfriend being taken by people who ambushed us and manhandled her?

I cracked open a Pepsi and started to explore the room. I hated to admit it, but I couldn't do anything to help the situation. The only good news was that I wasn't locked in a jail cell with nothing to do.

"Coach Hedge!" I shouted. Gods, where was that goat?

"Shut up, blondie! You sound like a screaming girl from a horror movie."

Coach wiggled out of a pillow fort I hadn't noticed before. "I didn't want to wake you, but we've been captured."

"No, doy," I said agitatedly.

"Just shut your trap before I buck it shut."

"Stop saying crap like that, you old goat," I said shrilly.

I wasn't sure where that came from, but I was really angry.

"Luke, you—" Coach swallowed hard. That was the first time Coach Hedge said my name. "You're lucky I don't tell you what people have said behind your back. It would make your greasy mess of hair curl like Cupid's locks."

I decided to take a walk instead of arguing with Coach Hedge. I climbed down the rocks until I had reached the beach. This beach was a lot nicer than the one at Camp Half-Blood. It didn't have half the driftwood as Camp Half-Blood, the water was clearer, and the sand was almost white. It looked like one of those traveling agency ads you see on the side of a bus

There was a cool breeze that blew back my shirt, so I started to button it. Until now, I hadn't noticed that I was not longer wearing my own shirt. I still had on the same undershirt, but now I was wearing a blue Hawaiian print shirt over it. I also had on a pair of khakis, so I really looked like a tourist. I was so glad nobody I knew could see me dressed this way.

I felt around my back pocket. I found one of Reyna's Winstons, and lit it with Coach Hedge's lighter.

I'd like to tell you that I was always a good kid who kept his nose clean. Literally, I did keep my nose clean, if you were wondering. That didn't mean I didn't pick up bad habits. It was kinda natural considering we were forced to mature at such a young age.

You're probably wondering why I'm telling you all of this. It's because I didn't imagine any of my life this way. I didn't think I'd be on this crazy mission. I thought I'd be married to Thalia, and we'd have a somewhat normal life. Instead I was here on this beach, smoking a stolen cigarette and feeling alone.

I sat down on a rock and looked out at the water. I started to think about Reyna. It must have sucked to be forced on another mission with the Hunters. What the hell were those sick people doing to her? I couldn't believe that Thalia was running around with them. _Gah!_ I needed to distract myself from thinking about Reyna or Thalia.

Just then, I realized that one of the rocks was not a rock because it was moving towards me. I went to draw Backbiter, but I didn't have it, so I just waited. Turns out it was just a friendly leatherback turtle. In fact, it was really friendly because it dropped a gold drachma in my hand like a dog would a tennis ball. I sat back down and flipped the drachma in the air. The turtle began to nuzzle my hand with its head.

"Hey there, big guy. Why'd ya give me this?" I said, not expecting an answer.

To my surprise, it gave me a really intense stare, like it was trying to tell me something. I wondered why a sea turtle had a drachma. _Oh Styx!_ I should have known, Poseidon sent me this. But why, and who was I supposed to call?

A voice whistled through the wind that sounded like it was coming from the wind. It sounded kinda like it said _Clarisse_ , but it also could have been _car keys_.

It was worth a shot. I walked up to the ocean where the waves crashed, creating a mist.

"Oh Iris, goddess of the Rainbow, please accept my offering," I said.

I closed my eyes and gulped before opening them again.

"Hey, Clarisse."

I saw her jump ten feet in the air.

"Luke," she cried, " _Styx!_ I should have gone to sleep like Chris told me. I'm starting to dream that you're alive."

I laughed tiredly. "I am actually alive. Hera brought me back last week since Thanatos isn't freed yet."

Clarisse scowled. "Why didn't you tell me that you were alive earlier, fairy feet?"

I let her get away with the insult.

"Hey, so why are you calling? Missed me?" she asked sarcastically.

"Uh, yeah. I did," I said dully.

Clarisse's expression softened, but only a little bit. The derision in her eyes remained. "What's wrong?"

"Reyna got abducted by the Hunters. We have to wait here until they return here, or they'll kill us all. I'm worried since we don't know anything."

"Who?"

"Roman praetor. Led an army to exterminate the Greeks. Great person though."

"That's not why you're upset, Luke, is it?"

"What? Yes, I'm mad that my girlfriend got kidnapped."

"You're dating a Roman?" Clarisse jabbed. "You still a freaking traitor," she said scathingly.

The two of us began to laugh. It was kind of like we were friends meeting after not seeing each other for many years. After the laughter died down, Clarisse sobered up and said, "No, Luke. I think you don't like not being able to do anything. You always needed focus on something."

"Are you my therapist?" I asked, straight-faced.

Clarisse huffed in irritation. "Listen, Caulfield. I'm trying to help you."

I sighed. "Is that really how you see me?"

"Truthfully, I think you're a sardonic person who thinks that the world depends on you, and if you stopped believing that, even for a moment, you'd be consumed by grief."

"That is dark and depressing, Clarisse."

"You going to cry about it?"

"No," I snapped.

"Maybe, you should."

"What?" I asked incredulously.

"Maybe, you should stop running from your emotions. I don't. At least, not anymore."

"What'd ya mean?"

"My brothers are dead, and not just my half brothers. Do you know how that makes me feel? Do you know how that makes the countless people hurt by the war feel?" Clarisse asked. I could see the muscles around her throat strain.

I wanted to shut out what she said, but the words held me so that I couldn't just recede into my shell.

"You lost Thalia, and never got over it. The fact that you can't get though your problems is why everyone is _dead_. They're all dead, Luke."

I looked down at the ground. I kept waiting for Iris to ask for another drachma. The break never came. It was like Iris was listening in on our conversation and she didn't want to interrupt the drama.

"I'm sorry," I replied.

I wanted to ask Clarisse about a lot of things: whether she forgave me, if I could change the person I was, and if she even liked me as a friend. I sort of assumed that we were friends since we were both camp counselors who spent a lot of time together. She took care of me while I was knocked out, and she stayed with me before I died. But I didn't ask if she thought of me as a friend because if she said no, it would mean I'd be even more alone in this world. And maybe, it meant I never made any real friends after losing Thalia.

"Luke, I'm sorry. I'm just really stressed out. I didn't mean that."

"Get some sleep, Clarisse," I said despondently, "I'll catch up with you later."

I didn't know if my life was just some sick game. Somehow, I imagined the Gods watching peoples lives like television shows. They could look up a person by genre and rating. I'd probably be a dark comedy with four stars for an engaging and morally questionable theme that paints a portrait of a truly depressed and anxious—I'm not going to continue. You probably get the point. I don't need to drag you down too.

 **# # #**

I woke up when the rain started pelting me.

" _Styx_ ," I groaned.

I sat up. There was a crick in my neck from laying with my head dangling off the rock. There was no turtle around. I began to wonder if I dreamt talking to Clarisse.

Well, it wasn't going to help if I caught a cold, so I went back up to the pavilion.

"Hey, Coach. I'm sorry about what I said."

Coach Hedge turned his head so that he could see me. "I know, blondie."

I jumped over the back of the couch and settled myself so that Coach had as much room as possible. I think he got that I was trying to apologize for calling him an old goat.

I figured out how to get the tv going, and hooked up Coach Hedge with a Chuck Norris movie on Netflix.

"Coach," I said.

"Yeah, cupcake?"

"What did people say behind my back?"

"Nothing bad. Everyone looks up to you," he added, "cupcake."

"Really?"

"Yep," he said while munching a can.

I got up and opened another Pepsi.

"So what did they say?" I asked.

"Who?" asked Coach, pretending that we weren't bonding in any way.

"Jason, Piper, Leo, Hazel and company."

I sat down next to Coach Hedge and guzzled the Pepsi. I wished that I had some pizza or at least a sandwich. Instead, I had to eat more banana chips. They left such an awful fuzzy taste in my mouth. I wondered how turtle soup tasted. Nah, that turtle was too friendly to eat.

"Jason thinks the world of you, cupcake. Hazel isn't crazy for your stunts, but she thinks you're a good person. Leo and Frank love everything you do from your Geek Squad skills to your swordsmanship. Piper thinks you're just ok."

I laughed because I was pretty oblivious to how people really felt about me.

"Hey, don't let the praise get to your head," Coach muttered gruffly.

"Yeah, that's definitely my problem." I took a deep breath. "Hey, how did everyone react when they found out I had left?"

Coach sighed. "Honestly, we were too busy worrying about Annabeth and Percy to grieve, but the kids needed a leader. Without you, they were kinda lost."

"You were there," I said.

"Listen, Blondie, they respect me, but they also think just I'm a kook with a bat."

"You are a kook with a bat."

Coach Hedge slugged me. "Damn straight."

For a few hours, I sat around and watched some more movies with Coach Hedge, but I got bored pretty soon. All the action movies were the same. The only difference was the main character, but then again, they were still the same. Maybe I was still the same hero, and there was never a way I could have changed my destiny or who I served. Well, I didn't want to spend my day off contemplating deep revelations.

"Hey, do you know if there are any private places here?" I asked.

"My fortress of doom."

"You mean the pillow fort?"

He nodded and said with pride, "It's pretty solitary."

"I'm sure you don't want me doing what I was thinking about in there."

Coach frowned but didn't say anything. "You still worried about Reyna?" he asked.

"No, Reyna can handle herself. I'm just worried about what's going to happen once we get Reyna back."


	12. Chapter 12 - Thalia Tries to Kill Me

_**Chapter 12**_

 _ **Thalia Tries to Kill Me**_

I'd love to tell you that Thalia was elated to see me, and that the four of us had a nice chat at a nice restaurant. Instead we were shouting at each other while Orion tried to kill us in San Jose.

So, you want to know how we got into this situation? Well, it all started when Coach Hedge found Backbiter under the cushion of the couch while he was looking for the remote. He decided that we should go into town since he needed a new baseball bat, and I had my sword back. Despite the voice in the back of my head, I agreed to go since I was so hungry. Gods, I could have gone for a chipotle burger and a piña colada.

Turns out we were pretty far from San Jose, but a nice farmer drove us into town. He tried to hint that he had a daughter my age. I didn't get what farmers saw in me for their daughters. And for the Gods' sake, I looked a muddling tourist right now. Who would want to date me like this?

When we got into town, I bought Coach two new bats; a birch Louisville Slugger and an aluminum one. He also bought a backpack that you could stick the bats through. It made him look kinda like a commando.

I was glad we bought his bat first because as soon as we left the store, a fight broke out a couple blocks down. I drew my sword and Coach took out his new bat. The two of us ran until we saw all the carnage.

Several hunters lay dead in the street. Others cried out in pain. I tired to pull some of them to safety, but I heard Coach scream, "Die, scum!"

He was going after a giant, though a small one. By deduction, I guessed that it was Orion. I had no choice but to run after Coach. As I got closer, I could see Reyna, Thalia, and another girl fighting too. Coach had just shattered his wooden bat, so moved onto his aluminum one.

I quickly jumped over Coach Hedge and sliced into Orion's arm.

"Foolish, boy. You should have joined Gaea's side."

"Yeah right," I retorted before ramming my sword into his leg and twisting it. He finally reacted to the attack by making a horribly pained face.

I turned my head to Thalia, who was shooting arrows at him. Each one narrowly avoided me like when I was attacked by the Ophiotaurus. _Oomph!_ Orion swiped at me, slamming me down onto the ground.

I forced myself back up as Reyna took my place fighting Orion. He charged us, making us scatter. Then, he pulled Backbiter out of his leg and threw it aside casually.

"Get out of here, Reyna," shouted one of the Amazons.

"I won't leave you, Hylla."

"Prepare to die."

"Just go, sister!" shouted Hylla.

I grabbed Reyna, who was petrified, and dragged her away, followed by Coach Hedge. "Come on, we need to get to the statue," I said.

Reyna's legs refused to move faster, so I picked her up and broke into a sprint. The three of us stopped running when we were near the statue. Thalia appeared next to me. Her eyes widened.

"What are you doing here?"

"Trying to help you guys."

Before I could react. Thalia slapped me across the face. I jumped back. "What the hell was that for?"

"I meant coming back to life, you monster," she shouted angrily.

Thalia notched an arrow and aimed her bow at my heart.

"You have ten seconds to tell me what's going on," she growled.

I spat back, "This is not a good time, Thalia."

"You don't even deserve to say my name."

"Uh, guys. Stop fighting. We've got bigger problems," urged Reyna, who was now coming back to reality.

"You ok?" I asked.

"She shook her head. No, I'm not. I don't think I ever will be."

I pulled Reyna close to me and hugged her. "I'm sorry," I said quietly. She began to sob into my shirt again. I tried to comfort her, but my mind was still on Orion.

"Hey guys, we need to leave, now."

"I'm staying to help Hylla," said Thalia.

I wasn't sure what I was thinking, but I said, "You're choice, but you'll die."

The three of us walked over to the statue and got ready to shadow travel. Coach Hedge got on my back again.

Just then, I head a piercing scream. Then, a spear came flying out of nowhere and landed next to the statue. Orion soon came after it, but Hylla grabbed hold of his cape, subduing the giant.

Thalia looked over at Hylla desperately. I turned towards the statue and started to focus on South Carolina since the memory was still fresh in my head. Before I could leave, Thalia threw herself onto me. As we sped off into the rift, I started to choke. Thalia's grip was way too strong.

We finally landed down on the side of the road facing the ocean. Thankfully, Thalia let go and stood up. Reyna got up after her with Coach Hedge. I collapsed to the ground.

"What the hell, you dastardly beast?" cried Thalia.

 _Ugh!_ I jumped up to avoid another horribly placed kick. I realized that I wasn't getting a break because she notched another arrow. Thalia headed towards me with a menacing scowl plastered across her face, so I did what my instincts told me to do and ran.

I evaded Thalia for five solid minutes until my legs gave out. I fell to the ground, face first. I was so exhausted that I couldn't even say anything thing to stop Thalia. The only thing going through my head was _I'm going to die at the hands of my ex-girlfriend_. Before she could shoot, Reyna jumped in front of me.

"Thalia, stop! Luke's on our side."

"How do you know he's not faking it?"

"Because he let the Romans kill him once already to buy more time to get the statue back," Reyna said.

"I want to hear it from his mouth."

I gasped, "It's true, Thalia. I've given everything to stop the Giants."

Thalia sighed and sat down on a rock. "How is that supposed to make a difference? Anyone in your position would rise to the task. As far as I'm concerned, you're a manipulative, backstabbing, fiend."

"Thalia, that's not fair. Luke's changed."

"Look, Kardashians. We're on the side of the road. People are going to wonder what's going on. Let's get down to the beach," said Coach Hedge.

Reyna helped me get down. Thalia got herself down, and Coach Hedge—well, he was part goat. We thought the statue would be safe since no one would be walking along a highway.

"So what now?" asked Thalia.

Reyna said, "We'll take a break before getting the statue closer to camp."

"Can we get something to eat?"

"As soon as I can start teleporting again," I replied.

As Coach Hedge and Reyna went looking for firewood, Thalia sat down next to me. I had the impulse to move away from her, but I didn't. I know I hurt Thalia in more ways than I could have imagined, but I was hurt myself when she tried to attack me a couple minutes ago.

"I don't forgive you," she said sharply.

Something cracked in me—probably from Clarisse—and I said, "I don't care if you forgive me or not, I've done too much to be able to make up for, but I'm not going to focus on hating myself or act like a blubbering idiot. I have a job to do, ya know."

Thalia opened her mouth, but nothing came out. Then she tried to say something, but I only heard murmuring. Finally, she said, "I missed you."

She lean against me, kind of like when we were younger. "I'm sorry, Luke. You don't deserve all the hate I gave you. You deserved some, but not all."

"That's better, I guess."

She laughed in an exhausted way. I could tell that Thalia had changed a lot.

"My Gods, Luke. How in the name of Zeus did you come back to life, and get into this mess?"

"Actually, I came back to life twice."

Thalia shook her head. "Luke, I have no idea what has been happening. Act like I'm the one who came back to life and tell me everything."

After almost twenty minutes, I finished telling her every single little detail. Not just since I was alive again, but what led me to the rebellion and whatnot, that included Penelope. I felt like I should just make a video to show people.

"So you're here for good?"

I nodded. "Unless I die again, I'll be here until I die a natural death later on."

Thalia leaned in and hugged me. "Luke, I'd quit the Hunters to be back with you."

"Really? Won't you die if you break your oath?"

"Only if you are past mortal age. I'll age up a couple years, but I won't die. I'll be twenty."

"I'm still twenty one right now, since I was dead."

Everything started to feel fuzzy, but not because I was sick or anything like that. I felt good. Actually, I felt great because I was so excited to see Thalia. This was what I wanted all this time.

This time, Thalia kissed me. I fell onto my back and embraced her. I don't know how time passed before I started to think about Reyna.

I pulled away from Thalia and sat up. She gave me a hurt look.

"I'm sorry, I'm dating Reyna."

"Wait, you're dating her?"

"Yes, I am. I didn't even know if I would see you again—don't even try to slap me—I'm sorry, Thalia."

Thalia's face grew darker, like a lightening storm, figures since she was a daughter of Zeus. The thought of the Ophiotaurus dawned on me, but I thought better than to bring it up since she was so volatile.

Surprisingly, she didn't say or do anything. That only made me more nervous. After a few moments she stood up.

"Well, say something," I said tiredly.

"I'm disappointed in you."

She walked away without another word. I felt like total crap. Even in my weakened state, I would have rather been hit or shocked than to be told that.

.

Once I had enough energy back, the four of us shadow traveled to Beaufort. After Coach Hedge doled out money like we were kids on a field trip, the four of us split up to buy new clothes. I went into a Southern Tide since my Hawaiian shirt was torn in six place. The clerk made me feel self-conscious because he kept telling me to try Tommy Bahama. I had to convince him that 'this' was my style. I bought a couple new shirts and some shorts there.

As awkward as it was, I went to a public restroom and changed into a pair of Nantucket reds and an oxford. When I came out, I got a good look at myself in the mirror. I was starting to look like an adult, not a homeless teenager. I kinda liked it.

The four of us met up around the Apple store. Thalia mentioned that I looked like a snooty kid from a prep school. Things were starting to feel normal again. After some fighting we decided to eat at the 11th St. Dockside Restaurant.

All of us ordered expensive meals since it was on Camp Half-Blood's credit card. If more people were going on quests, I would have felt bad, but no one was spending any money. As I chewed on a piece of fillet, the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. Part of me wanted to believe that I was just cold since we were out on the dock, but I knew better.

"So, Luke. Tell me more about your girlfriend," said Thalia. There was that unmistakable glint in her eye that she got whenever she had the upper hand.

"What do you want to know that you couldn't ask her?"

Thalia turned bright red.

"Luke, be peaceable," said Reyna.

"Sure," I mumbled.

Coach Hedge started to prate on about baseball stats.

When the waiter asked if I wanted dessert, I declined and asked for a Moscow mule. After the waiter left, Reyna asked why I didn't get dessert.

I replied sleepily, "I might gain weight since I haven't actually done anything lately."

Reyna made a face. "You sound like Drew."

"Who's Drew?" asked Thalia.

"An annoying camper I had to work with," I replied defensively.

After several more awkward questions, I was grateful when the waiter brought me my drink. Everything was quiet until the waiter brought us the bill. For some reason, the credit card was declined, but the waiter said he'd keep trying.

When the waiter came back for the third time, I noticed that his eyes were red. And not like allergies-so-bad-you-need-Claritin, but shockingly bright red. That was never a good sign.

I finally got sick of this game and stood up when I heard the waiter's footsteps. "Listen, who the hell are you?"

I was face to face with the manager, not the waiter, and he was definitely mortal.

"I am so sorry," I stammered.

"Wrong guy, kid," the waiter sneered from behind the manager.

The manager's face flashed irritation, but he composed himself and said, "I see you all have had some trouble."

I sat back down since I felt like a jerk-wad.

"Are you drunk?" Reyna whispered into my ear.

I didn't respond because I was too busy trying to find a way out of this. They'd probably call the police, unless we looked like a reputable family. A single dad with a drunk kid and a goth probably wasn't the best cover.

"I will try again, and hopefully it will work this time," said the manager before walking off.

The waiter turned back towards us. He leaned against the docks and cleaned his teeth with a toothpick.

"You know, you were right, Luke. I'm not a mortal. I'm—"

"Your card went through," said the manager triumphantly as Coach snatched it back.

I grabbed the manager, who weighed a ton, and threw him over the railing before drawing my sword. It was safer for the manager to stay out of the fight. If this wasn't a serious situation, I would have cracked up from the look on the manager's face, priceless.

"Here's a little help, kid. I'm Lycaon."

"Don't care."

The two of us circle around for what seemed like hours. "Hey, draw your weapons," I shouted to the group.

Just then, Lycaon lunged at me. He grabbed my sword in his bare hands and shook it. That should have hurt, but he didn't get a single cut. I watched Backbiter going flying into the water with a plop. This was déjà vu.

I felt two ginormous hands grab me by my side and throw me. Lycaon basically skipped me across a few tables like a stone before I landed in someone's soup. That burned a lot. Not to mention, unlike in a James Bond movie, stunts like these leave you in speechless pain.

I looked up. Reyna was on Lycaon's back. She slammed her sword down on him while Coach Hedge swung his bat into his stomach. That should have hurt the monster, but it didn't.

"Ahhh!" Thalia screamed. She was being attacked by a pack of wolves. Then she said, "You need silver to kill them."

A thought dawned on me. We were in a fancy enough place that they might actually have real silverware. I grabbed the fork off of a table and ambled over to Thalia. I jabbed a wolf in the side, sending him running away.

"Thanks," muttered Thalia.

She took two forks from the adjacent table and charged. As we beat back the wolves, I heard a loud scream. I turned my head. Lycaon was holding Reyna high over his head while Coach jumped in vain.

Before I could react, a wolf leapt at me, sinking its teeth into my arm. I howled out in pain and stabbed the wolf in its eye, but it didn't let go. Finally, Thalia came back and shot the wolf dead with an arrow.

I mouthed, "How?"

"Silver arrows. Artemis always knows best."

I turned my attention back to Lycaon, who still had Reyna.

Thalia shot another arrow dangerously close to Reyna. It hit Lycaon square in the chest. He yelped and dropped Reyna. I grabbed her before she hit the deck. A volley of arrows whizz over our heads. Coach Hedge picked up a silver platter from a cart and jumped up in the air, whacking Lycaon in the face like a WWE wrestler. Lycaon fell into the water with a loud splash.

"Is he dead?" I asked.

Thalia nodded.

"Luke, we need to get your arm healed up," said Reyna. I could tell that she was shocked.

"Ok, but—"

Reyna cut me off: "No, Luke. I swear, if you can't stop—we're going to stay in a hotel tonight."

"Fine."

The four of us headed to the nearest hotel we could find, which happened to be a Marriott. Coach Hedge had a conundrum. If he got two rooms, he faced either keeping Reyna and Thalia from fighting, Thalia and me from fighting, or Reyna and me being together. Instead, the concierge offered some deluxe room that could hold four people. It was the same price as two rooms, so Coach took that offer.

The room was pretty nice; two sides of the room were made of glass so you could see the city, there was a living room area set up in the corner, and there were two queen beds. Coach Hedge decided to sleep on the couch, so I had to sleep in an arm chair again. That sucked.

As soon as we were in, Reyna dragged me into the bathroom to clean my wound. Gods, I cursed like a sailor when she wiped alcohol into my wound. After I was bandaged up, Thalia ran into the bathroom and claimed it for an hour so she could take a bath in the whirlpool. I couldn't blame her. We were all sweaty, grimy, tired.

Since Thalia was in the bathroom and Coach was asleep, Reyna invited me up on her bed. It felt a lot better than the chair. I stretched out and snuggled with Reyna.

When I was absolutely sure that Coach Hedge was asleep, I started nuzzling Reyna's neck. It would have been comical sense I was so much bigger than her, but at the moment I just felt so vulnerable.

"Luke, what's into you?"

"I just missed you a lot."

"Are you crying?"

"Maybe."

Reyna wrapped her arms around me.

"What happened?"

Part of me wanted to avoid telling her why I was really crying, but Clarisse's words about not running from my emotions made me change my mind.

"I'm just scared," I managed to say.

"Of what?" asked Reyna.

I straightened up.

"Of everything. I'm afraid of what'll happen once we get to camp. I'm afraid of my feelings for Thalia. I want to believe that I'm not alone and that I don't shut people out, but as I debate it, things just stop making sense and I realize—"

Reyna stopped my nervous rant by kissing me. I leaned in and pulled her closer to me.

"You're not alone, Luke. You should already know that. Everyone on the Argo II loves you. I love you."

I said quietly, "But what if I shut them out?"

I couldn't tell if Reyna could hear me, or just chose not to answer. I didn't venture to say anything else.

"We'll get through this together," Reyna said quietly.

The two of us fell asleep in each other's arms.

 **. . .**

A few hours later, I woke up spooning Reyna between the covers. I slowly got up, making sure not to wake her, and walked over to the mini-fridge to get a bottle of water.

I started to pace around, watching pedestrians walk around outside. I kinda envied them. They didn't have half the problems I had. Sure, they had inner battles and responsibilities, but I still felt like it was easier for them just to slip away into complacency. We couldn't just forget who we were or why we had to do things because demigods always had to fight. It was a battle to find a reason to keep fighting even after you'd be knocked down and told you're expendable.

I felt a cold hand on my shoulder.

"Hey, Thalia."

"I'm sorry."

"What?

"I understand why you're dating Reyna. You needed someone to support you."

The two of us stood in the darkness, watching the busy city life together. I wondered if she was thinking the same as me. I didn't know since we weren't that close anymore.

Thalia looked at me, her electric blue eyes held my attention. There was so much pain and anger in them.

"You hurt me at the Garden of Hesperides. When you betrayed me, that scarred me. That was when I truly lost faith in humanity that day. I've never trusted anyone fully after that, not even my sisters. You _ruined_ me, Luke."

"Why are you telling me this?" I asked softly.

"Not because I'm trying to hurt you," she said before getting back into bed.

I crawled back in bed with Reyna. Her hair smelled like oranges and vanilla. I had to admit that it was pretty relaxing. I fell asleep for good this time.


	13. Chapter 13 - Bryce: Lord of the Fish

_**Chapter 13**_

 _ **Bryce: Lord of the Fish**_

"That's it, blondie. I am done!"

I opened my eyes and searched the room blearily.

"Blah-ha!"

Coach Hedge stood over me. He bleated again, "Blah-ha-ha."

Pain shot up through my abdomen. _Styx!_ I fell off of the bed coughing. I tried to stand up, but the pain only intensified, so I just knelt down with my head resting on the bed.

"Gleeson Hedge, we're not children," cried Reyna.

"Wait, your name is Gleeson?" I rasped.

"Think that's funny?"

"Yes, actually."

I started to laugh even though it hurt. Thalia laughed too. Reyna joined in and Coach Hedge burned in embarassment.

"Gleeson is a proud Irish name," he barked.

"Like Jackie Gleeson?" I said.

"Watch it, blondie, or straight to the moon," Coach threatened. He pretended to swing his bat towards the sky.

"I understand; don't do anything, or lose the ability to do anything."

Coach Hedge grumbled something before munching on my plastic bottle from last night. I think he was satisfied with my answer.

I decided to take a shower. That felt good since I still had wolf slobber all over me.

Once I was out and dressed, Reyna went in to take her shower. Thalia and Coach were sitting on the couch watching tv. Thalia was still had on a tourist shirt from the _Beaufort Celtic Festival_ and a pair of sweatpants. For a moment, I felt like kissing her, but I put that thought away. I was with Reyna and she actually liked me.

"I'm going to go contact Jason and see how things are going."

"Ok, cupcake," Coach said without paying much attention to what I said. He was preoccupied with an ad for _Taken 3_.

I remembered that there was a fountain in the hotel's lobby. I went downstairs and summoned Iris. Hopefully the mortals would think I was just talking on the phone.

Jason appeared. He looked like he went through a war. He had a lot of cuts and gashes. A shock of yellow hair hung in front of his face. I almost felt guilty that I was staying in a hotel while Jason and his friends were stuck in the Old World.

"Hey, Jason. How are things going?"

He hardly noticed me since he was in a stupor.

"Huh? What's going on?" he grumbled

"It's Luke."

"Oh, Luke. How are you?"

"Ok. We're in South Carolina right now. Do you have Percy and Annabeth back?"

He nodded. "We went through Hell and back—literally—but Percy and Annabeth are safe and the Doors of Death are shut now."

"That's good to hear. So, we'll meet up at Camp in two days?"

"Yep," Jason said bitterly.

"What's wrong?"

"The prophecy says that one of the seven is going to have to sacrifice themselves."

I should have known what to say since I sacrificed myself two weeks ago, but all I could say was, "Eh, wow. That's really bad news. I'm sorry."

"It's ok, Luke. War's not without casualties."

"You sure you read the prophecy right?"

Jason shrugged. "Does it matter?"

"Dunno. You're right, though. We'll have to do it."

"So, how's Reyna doing?"

"Ok, I guess. She's been bummed out since we left San Jose. Thalia hasn't been making things better—"

"Wait, wait. Thalia's with you?"

"Yeah, she's here at the hotel right now."

"You haven't been trying anything right?" Jason asked suspiciously.

"Your sister tried to kill me when we met up. Then, she told me that I ruined her. What do you think?"

"Oh, I'm sorry—" Jason's eyes narrowed and then he said, "wait, why am I apologizing to you? You're the one who told me you really liked my sister."

"This isn't the time, Jason. If we're not going to talk about business, then get someone else in here."

Jason left the room before Annabeth and Percy came.

"Hey, guys. Did ya enjoy the couple's trip to Tartarus?" I joked.

Percy groaned and said, "Way too early, man."

"Sorry, couldn't help it."

"So, you're really back?" asked Percy.

"Yeah. I mean, I'll die if I get mortally wounded, but Hades isn't going to take me back once the war is done."

"You know, you've made the biggest difference. If you hadn't sacrificed yourself, the Romans would have attacked while we were being rescued."

"Thanks, Percy. That means a lot."

"So, I heard Thalia's back," said Annabeth.

"Yeah, Thalia's with us and she hates my guts."

"Could you blame her?"

"No, not really, but the tension is unsettling."

"So, you're alright, Luke?"

"Yeah, I am. You guys are the ones who've had it rough."

"Really? Luke, you know that you look worse than us?"

"No, I haven't noticed."

"Well, you should do something because you're stressed and sick," said Annabeth like a mother.

"Sure, if I look that bad."

"Annabeth, don't nag Luke."

"I am not, Seaweed Brain."

"You are."

"Are not."

"Are too."

"Hey!" I barked, "one more important thing. I want you to get Connor and Drew off the ship. Have Nico shadow travel them somewhere safe."

"They'll still be in the fight, right?"

"Yeah, I just have a weird feeling."

"Alright, see you soon," said Percy.

"Take care," said Annabeth.

I went back upstairs. Everyone was packed up and ready to go.

"So, how'd it go?" asked Reyna.

"It went ok. Jason's mad at me and somebody's going to have to die in order to defeat Gaea."

No one said anything. One more casualty was typical. Predestined casualties were frustrating, to say the least.

Finally, Coach Hedge said we should keep moving on. The four of us decided to shadow travel straight from the hotel. We landed back at the beach.

"Hey, does it look like there's a boat coming awfully close to shore?" asked Reyna.

"Yeah, it does."

One of those big speed boats I used to see in the marina was flying at us. I could hear music coming from the ship. Maybe it was just a drunk guy out on the ocean… who listened to Slipknot. That did not fit. There had to be something wrong.

"Oh Gods, it's Bryce."

"Who?"

I jumped out of the way before an arrow could skewer me. Someone was shooting arrows at us from atop the boat.

"Reyna had a dream about Octavian reinstating a psycho into the legion. I just hope he's not on this ship," said Thalia. Great, Thalia and Reyna were bonding. I'd love to cherish the warm thought, but I was too busy trying to avoid dying.

I drew my sword and ducked behind the statue.

"What do we do?" I yelled to Reyna who was behind a boulder.

"I don't know. Wait, is there a letter attached to that arrow?"

Reyna darted right into the cross fire and yanked off the official looking letter from the arrow before diving next to me.

 _Reyna Ramírez-Arellano, former praetor, is under orders of the Roman Legion to return to Rome. Refusing to do so will result in dire consequences. The act of harboring the former praetor is punishable by death._

 _—_ _Octavian_

 _Augur of Camp Jupiter, Centurion of the First Cohort, Emergency in Command_

Reyna crumpled the letter and tossed it into the ocean. "Gods, I could kill that conniving little—Styx! Why can't anything go right?" she cried.

I was beyond pissed off. The Romans threatened my friends, killed me once, and worst of all, upset my girlfriend.

I tensed up as I waited for the Romans to land.

"Luke, what are you going to do? We can't just charge them. That would be stupid."

"I am stupid."

"Who goes there!" shouted Michael.

Thalia, who was lying behind another boulder like a sniper, motioned her head towards something. I took that as a sign and ran at the unwitting person who dared cross our path. It was Michael, and he appeared to be unarmed. I grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and slammed my hilt into his head. He collapsed to the ground. Dakota and the girl stood there.

"It's ok, guys. We understand that you made a mistake and that you're not going to attack us. So, we're not going to attack," said Reyna, "since you want to make up for your mistake right?"

"Yeah, yeah," said Dakota nervously.

The girl standing next to him screamed before falling to the ground face first. There was an arrow stuck in her back. Before anyone could do a thing, someone had me pinned to the ground. "Bryce, get off of him!" shouted Reyna.

"You have no authority, and I've got your little boyfriend here, Reyna. There's nothing you can do."

I struggled under Bryce's weight, but he was too strong. He wrapped his hands around my neck and crushed down. The brute resembled a big pig. His face was drawn in a cruel sneer and he had a lot of scars.

"Someone stop him," I croaked.

I finally got a hold of his sides. I needed to lift the psycho up if I wanted to live, since no one else was doing anything. Even when he was suspended in the air, Bryce kept a tight grip on my neck.

"Let go!" I shouted.

The two of us tumbled over to the edge. I tried to kick him in the crotch, but it did little good. Coach Hedge ran up behind Bryce and swung his bat at Bryce, but he just caught it with one hand while his other stayed put on my neck. _Great, Coach. Give him a new weapon to use._

Bryce let go of me. For a second, I could breathe, but then, he slid the bat over my throat and pressed down like on a rolling pin. I made an awful gurgling noise.

He laughed maniacally. "I love when they make that noise. You have to hear this, Reyna." Reyna and Dakota started to approach. "He's going to die any moment, but I think I'll draw this out unless you come any closer."

From the corner of my eye, I saw Thalia creep forward with an arrow notched in her bow.

I closed my eyes. Then, all the pressure on my neck was released. Reyna and Dakota had pulled Bryce off of me. An arrow stuck out of his stomach. I expected Bryce to be done for.

But before I could even recover, Bryce was back up and ready to fight again. He turned to Reyna and grinned like some fierce predator.

"I wouldn't come any closer. I could kill the praetor—I mean ex-praetor—right now."

Reyna bristled in rage before she drew her knife.

"Don't be stupid," Bryce chided, "you couldn't even scratch."

I saw Thalia prepare to shoot. I motioned for her not to. Reyna was way too close, and Thalia was at a bad angle.

Of course, Thalia let go and the arrow flung at Bryce. To all of our horror, he caught it in his bare hands. This was like something out of one of Coach Hedge's movies.

I knew what he was going to do when he raised the arrow above his head. I knocked Reyna out of the way, right before Bryce brought the arrow down. I fell to the ground in shock, not saying anything.

Everyone, including Bryce was stupefied. Thalia was staring at me with the weirdest look on her face. It was like she couldn't believe that I would risk my life for anyone.

Luckily, Reyna was thinking on her feet. She dashed towards the edge of the hill where my sword was. She faced Bryce, feigning to strike him in the chest. He dropped his arms down to block her. Then, Reyna sliced through his neck. Bryce stumbled backwards, grasping his throat before Coach drop kicked him into the ocean.

I heard Reyna mutter, "That's what sadists get."

 **# # #**

When I opened my eyes, we were still at the beach. Reyna was sitting next to me reading _Lord of the Flies._ I was surprised that she was reading since she was obviously dyslexic. When I looked over, I saw that it was large print, like for grandmothers.

"So, what's this _Lord of the Flies_ about?"

Reyna shut the book and threw it down in my lap. _Ouch!_ I cursed in pain.

"You shouldn't have done that, Luke. We got the arrow out, but you were bleeding out all over the place."

I shrugged. "Bryce missed my internal organs. If he'd hit you, it would have been where it counts."

"Why are you so comfortable?" she asked.

"Because, I'm pretending. I'm as stressed out as everybody else, but if I just gave in—well, it would make the situation worse."

Reyna's expression softened, and she let me put my arm around her.

"You know, Bryce reminds me of Roger."

"Who?"

"Roger is a character in the book. He's a sadist who is only civil because society makes hi. Bryce is, or was, like that. He used to be in the legion, until I kicked him out."

"Why?" I asked.

"Because he killed someone."

"Oh," I said quietly. I realized that for all the terrible things I've done, and tried to do, I never actually killed a real person.

"To him, it was all a game. I'm not even sure if society could have prevented him from being a monster."

"What made him that way?"

"He was a son of Orcus, the God of punishment in the Underworld."

"We should probably get going soon, before reinforcements with guys like him come."

"I don't know think anyone in the legion is as evil as him." She said quietly, "I can't believe he tried to kill Leila." I assumed Leila was the girl who got shot. I was glad she wasn't dead.

She picked the book up from my lap. "You remind me of Ralph, the protagonist. You're pretty intelligent, a natural leader, responsible, and you're genuinely good at heart. I mean, you obviously have a darker side to you, but we all do. You just lost your way."

"Try telling that to Thalia."

"She may never come around, Luke."

Reyna was probably right. I had ruined any chances of even becoming friends with Thalia again, but I wasn't in the worst mood. Reyna had made me feel a lot better, and Bryce reminded me that there were worse people in this world.


	14. Chapter 14 - Orion is a Jerk-wad

_**Part 3**_

 _ **Chapter 14**_

 _ **Orion is a Jerk-wad**_

I've had it hard since the beginning. I lived with my crazy mother, ran away when I was nine, lost my best friend when I was a twelve, lost the last bit of childhood innocence and wonder on my first quest, endured Kronos's dream torture, betrayed Camp Half-Blood, failed Kronos on multiple occasions, almost convinced Annabeth to run away with me, killed myself to stop Kronos from coming back, came back to life, travelled to the old world, sacrificed myself to Octavian, came back to life, almost got killed by my ex-girlfriend, and now, I was here sitting on a beach, recovering from another selfless act. Instead of having some incredible revelation based on my harrowing life, all I could think was _what in Hades are we going to do now?_

I should have known how to react, but I was just as scared as everyone else on the beach. The only reason I wasn't showing it was because everyone relied on me for support. I was glad that I could confide my feelings to Reyna. I didn't feel so isolated that way.

A few hours ago, Michael and Leila woke up. Leila was more than will to help us. However, Michael was adamant about following Octavian. He refused to even listen to Reyna and went back to main land to get to Camp Half-Blood, himself.

At that point, Reyna started to cry. Leila and I tried to comfort her, but she was so distraught. So, here we were; stuck on a beach waiting to leave. And trust me, no one was enthusiastic about leaving.

The six of us decided to take the boat up camp. Since none of us were strong enough to get the Athena Parthenos in, we just stared up at it, confused and half defeated.

The sun was shining this afternoon and there was a strong breeze that shook the beach grass and helped the breakers form frothy peaks in sea. Gods, it was such a nice day. Too bad Bryce had to mess that up.

I sat down on the base of the statue and brushed away a mop of hair that hung in front of my face. I tried to comb my hair so that I looked more civil, but it was hopeless. Since the beginning of this quest, I had lost a lot weight, became exhausted-looking, and grew a terrible looking beard.

"Hey, Luke."

"What, Thalia?"

"What if you teleported the statue without you onto the ship?"

"Can I do that?"

Thalia shrugged. "It's worth a shot."

I stood up and backed away from the statue. Everyone crowded behind me

The idea of doing something that's never been done, or at least recorded, with no help seemed impossible, but then again, teleporting myself once seemed impossible. I focused of the rift between the statue and the destination. The statue disappeared in an explosion.

"Luke, maybe you should put the statue on the boat," said Thalia.

"That's what I'm trying to do."

A few more seconds passed before anything happened. "You must have done something wrong—"

"Just wait."

To all of our relief, the statue popped onto the ship. Dakota and I fastened the statue down, and threw a tarp on onto it. Once everything was secure, we headed off along the coastline. I wished Percy was here since he could help with the water.

Reyna and I stood on deck, watching for more Roman ships. The wind whipped around and water sprayed up in our faces. The whole thing felt invigorating to me. To Reyna, this was like being in Tartarus. I don't think she liked water at all.

It was lucky that I had brought my jacket with me, but Reyna hadn't brought hers. So I gave her my jacket. Now, all I had on was a hoodie.

"So, you ready for tomorrow."

Reyna nodded solemnly, still looking ahead.

"If we don't live, I just want to say thanks for being there for me. I've never been this close to anyone in my life. I love you."

Reyna looked up, a little surprised, like she hadn't listening until now.

I usually forced myself to shove away questions because I was afraid the answers would hurt me, but I cared about Reyna, so I needed to figure out what was going on.

"What's wrong?" I asked

"Am I truly the only person you've ever been this close with?"

"Yes. I've been trying to change since I came back to life."

"Luke, I don't feel that way about you. And I feel like you have the emotional range of a bull. You haven't listened to my problems."

"You don't tell me anything," I started angrily, but it came out exasperated. "I knew that you were bothered by the trip to San Jose. I asked you at that restaurant while Coach and Thalia were gone. You said nothing was wrong. _Hades_ , I've even asked about your childhood."

"It's a hard subject."

"My childhood was a hard subject. My mother terrorized me for almost nine years. I had abusive teachers—the point is I've tried to be a better person."

"Look, if this is all you have to offer—Let's talk about this later," said Reyna. She walked over to the other side of the boat.

"There may not be a later," I said under my breath.

I fell limp, and slumped my back against the side the cabin and wept. Nothing mattered. Everything I did was a waste. And I wasn't talking about the war, just my personal life, and that should have mattered more to me before now. I shook as I sobbed, partially from the cold.

I heard the faint call of my name, but I couldn't have been sure since the water was so loud.

"Are you crying?"

I looked up. Percy had called me up with an Iris message. I wasn't in the mood to talk. I realized that Reyna was should have saved the fight and the emotions for later, but I gave in.

"Yeah, but I'm fine," I replied.

Percy glanced the other way. "I'll wait for you to stop."

"I'm done," I said as I wiped away the last tear. "What's up?"

"We're about to head to Athens. The next stop is home."

"Yeah, great."

"We're following this snake king of Athens. I'm not entirely sure how this is going to turn out, but hopefully, we'll be able to get rid of the Giants."

"Great," I said.

"Are you almost at camp yet?"

"We're on a boat, and according to Apple Maps, we'll be there by tomorrow morning."

"That's good news."

"Listen, Percy. Once this is over, what are we going to do?"

"I don't know. That's why I'm starting to get pissed off at the Gods, myself. It's like we'll just waste away once the war is over."

"Yeah, that's what I thought," I muttered.

Percy said somewhat enthusiastically, "I have a future in New Rome, though. And I'm sure Reyna would love for you to stay with her."

I said bitterly, "We hit a rough patch."

"I'm sorry, Luke."

"It's fine, really. I should just focus on getting to camp. Goodbye."

"Bye."

Shortly after, it began to rain, so I took one of the long coats from below the deck. It was starting to get slippery, so I had to hold onto the railing for support. Otherwise, I'd fall overboard and become shark bait.

Thalia finally called Reyna and me to come inside when the storm picked up, since nothing would come after us now.

My hair was sopping wet, so I shook my head, spraying water everywhere. Thalia laughed until she remembered that she was supposed to be angry at me. I almost laughed, myself, but I wasn't supposed to be in a good mood either.

Coach Hedge walked up to me and sniffed. "You are one soggy cupcake, blondie."

Everyone laughed. After a late lunch, we were all in a relatively good mood. Things seemed to be looking up again, despite the storm. We all talked out how much we hated Octavian. It was a wicked roasting session.

Later that night, I drank too much "medicinal brandy" and fell asleep on the one of the benches.

 **. . .**

The next morning, I woke up stiff from sleeping on a bench. I tried to move, but Reyna sleeping on top of me. I looked around. The rest of the benches were occupied too. I gently nudged her. "Wake up, before Coach Hedge notices."

She opened her eyes slowly before saying, "I'm sorry, Luke. There was nowhere else to sleep." She stood up quickly and brushed herself off.

Thalia looked over from the helm and smirked. I ignored her and started to prepare for the battle. After getting on some fresh clothes, I started to put on my armor. I was kinda surprised that no one else had worn theirs this whole time. Then again, today was the first time I was in full armor.

Once everyone was awake and fully dressed, we started to plan out our strategy. The six of us looked really funny since the Romans were dressed in their armor, I was in Greek armor, Thalia was in her Gorgon armor, and Coach Hedge was in football pads with war paint on his face. We were so mismatched.

"So, we'll teleport the statue to the center of the fields. You guys," I pointed to Dakota and Leila, "will order your troops to turn back."

"What if they chose to follow Octavian," asked Leila.

"Then, report back to us and we'll have to fight the Romans."

"Great idea," said Thalia sarcastically.

"Well, you haven't come up with any ideas," I shot back.

"You hijacked this mission."

I rolled my eyes. Of course, she'd say that. Everything was my fault.

Reyna stepped in. "Luke's right. We don't have any other options. If we can't reason with the legion, the only other option is war."

I couldn't wait to get to shore. In fact, I wouldn't have minded getting out of here, now just to avoid the tension between me and Thalia. As for what Reyna said earlier, I think she had forgotten, which was fine with me.

When New York came in sight, Reyna, Coach, and I departed. Thalia stayed with the Romans so that she could act as Greek Ambassador, which may not have been the best idea.

Teleporting had become a lot easier since I had lots of practice. Of course, I didn't expect anything to be really easy. Midway through the rift, I felt a tug, like from the time Polybotes dragged us onto that island.

As I tried to warn them about the oncoming attack, I was slapped back into a tree. Thanks to the armor, my spine wasn't shattered. My knees shook a little, but I was able to stand up. I drew my sword.

Orion, the smallest and most charismatic Giant, was trying to block Reyna's spear. She went to jab him when he grabbed her spear and started to tug. I ran as fast as I could and brought all my weight down on Orion's arm. He dropped Reyna's spear and shook off the pain.

"This is the most dangerous game, is it not?" he mused.

"Shut up," I said.

He shrugged and charged me, bow in hand. I jumped out of the way before sticking him in the calf.

Orion howled in pain. He aimed at Coach Hedge. Lucky for us, Coach ran in a zig zag, momentarily confusing the Giant. Orion threw up his bow to block my strike. I shoved all of my weight on him until he had no choice but to drop his bow. Just as soon as he dropped it, Orion lashed his arms out. I threw down my sword and grabbed Orion by his wrists. He wasn't more than a foot taller than me, so I could have stood a chance.

As we grappled, Coach Hedge grabbed Orion's bow and chucked it into the woods. He picked up my sword and swung it into Orion's side like a baseball bat. Orion only laughed and pushed harder. I dug my feet into the ground, but that didn't stop him from shoving me back.

"You're a good fighter, Luke Castellan. You shouldn't have betrayed us, but what could I expect from someone so weak—" Orion's sneer twisted into a painful grimace.

He started to claw at the cord of his cape before falling to his knees. I stepped back and looked behind him. Reyna was strangling Orion with his own cape. Part of me was in total horror. I had to watch Orion, who seemed more like a tall person than a monster, die so slowly. Somehow it all felt wrong. Sure, demigods were trained to kill, but not like this.

I turned away until the job was done. Reyna was on her knees next to the dead Giant, panting.

"Ready to go?" I asked.

Right as we were about to get the heck out of there, one of Orion's hunters came out from the trees. I didn't have much time to process what he was doing, but then I saw him aim his bow at Reyna. I swung Reyna out of harms way as we teleported to Camp Half-Blood.

* * *

 **Author's note** : Hey guys, just wanted you to know that I've decided to make the chapters shorter for your enjoyment and convenience. Also, I've been thinking things over; would you be mad if there was no Thaluke? Comment or whatever. It's only an idea, but I wanted to know before I proceed.

Anyways, Luke and Reyna have really hit a rough spot since Reyna's overall concern is that Luke can't offer more emotional support than he has. This is more of a lashing out on Reyna's part because she's so stressed.

Don't forget to comment and favorite. Your support is invaluable Thanks for reading, you guys are awesome.


	15. Chapter 15 - The Ships Arrive

_**Chapter 15**_

 _ **The Ships Arrive**_

"Styx, mother loving Styx," I shouted at the the top of my lungs. I was in a lot of pain, but that was the least of my concerns after what I saw.

The three of us had landed in between the Big House and the volleyball court. The only problem was that we were late. I hadn't redeemed myself at all.

In the distance, there was a battle where balls of Greek Fire were being lobbed back and forth. And Gods, there was even a dog fight up above between the Pegasus and eagles.

"Hey, blondie, do you know that you have an arrow in you shoulder?" asked Coach Hedge condescendingly.

"Someone, just pull it out."

Reyna had already passed the two of us and was heading towards the field.

"Coach, come on."

He grabbed the shafted and yanked it out. I swore loudly and hopped around like the time I got hit by Clarisse on the gauntlet. It probably looked comical, but I would have punched the guy who laughed.

Reyna let lose a flurry of curses aimed at Octavian.

"What is it?"

"He's got onagers. They'll destroy Camp Half-Blood."

I groaned. "So we're too late?"

"You going to cry, blondie?"

I slugged Coach Hedge before walked up next to Reyna. I held her hand in mine.

"What now?" I asked softly.

"What can we do, Luke?" cried Reyna, "What can we do? We've lost because Octavian is beyond reasoning. I mean, he let a psychopath back in the legion, for the Gods sake."

"Look, Reyna, things look bad. We're demigods. It's always going to look that way, but things always turn out for the better—at least for somebody—and we just have to keep fighting."

"But we have no freaking plan, now."

Reyna jerked away from me and walked along the field. I stood there in stunned silence. I don't know where I got that stupid motivational speech from, but I didn't believe it. From the darkened forrest came a voice.

"Friends of the Greeks?"

"Yes."

"How can we be sure?"

"I'm dressed like a freaking Greek."

"Screw you."

"Clarisse, get your ass out here."

Clarisse, Travis, Connor, Katie, Butch, Drew, and several small boys with oversized armor emerged. They hardly looked old enough to fight.

If I hadn't known that it was Clarisse, I would have been scared. Her helmet completely obscured her face, except the eyes. Her eyes alone were pretty intimidating.

"How many soldiers do you have?" I asked.

"Counting all of us, sixteen."

"Really? Is that it?"

"We're trying our hardest, Luke. We just got out of another war."

Travis didn't mean it to hurt me, but it was my fault that our army was so scant. Despite the odds, I started to think about how we could stop Octavian from doing any more damage.

"How many of you know how to work electronics?"

The twins and three boys raised their hands.

"Is anyone fast?"

A blonde haired girl and a stringy looking boy raised their hands.

"See those things," I said, pointing to the onagers, "we need to disable them. We need two runners to distract a bulk of the guards. The rest of us need to split up into three groups. We'll be able to over power the guards and disable the onagers from there."

Reyna came up behind me. "You came up with that plan?"

"Yeah, someone had to."

"I would have come up with one if you hadn't," said Clarisse.

Just then, an Iris message popped up. Leila, Dakota, Thalia and Will Solace were at the docks.

"We just got here. I don't think we can do much since the legion's been dispatched," said Leila.

"We know. We're going after the onagers now."

"Well, do you need any help?" asked Will.

"I thought everyone was busy."

"We've got the Hunters," said Thalia.

I looked down at my hand. My fingernails were chewed down to the nub. I'd been so busy that I hadn't realized I'd been doing that.

"Gather all the reinforcements you can, and draw as many troops away from the onagers as possible."

"How?"

"Start a bonfire, shoot volleys of arrows, something like that."

"I know what you're thinking, but we need time," said Thalia.

"How much?"

"Several hours."

"Several hours? That's too long."

"You have no choice."

"Did you kill the Ophiotaurus?"

"What? Luke, this is a bad time."

"Come on, just tell me."

Thalia groaned like I was asking her to hold up the world.

"Yes, I was there when you came back to life and when you died in New Rome. I assumed that you were dead for good."

"Why'd you pretend that you had no idea that I was alive."

"I don't want to talk about it."

Thalia slashed through the portal, ending our conversation.

Our little makeshift army headed to the Big House, which looked like it had been bombed out. We laid in wait for the Hunters to attack. Several arches stood by the windows incase any Romans came. The rest of us tried to recoup.

Clarisse handed me a pair of binoculars. Octavian was standing by middle onager. He had a haircut since the last time I saw him. It looked like a ridiculous pompadour that was soaked in a liter of hair gel. I felt like punching the smug creep.

"Who are you looking at?" asked Clarisse

"The leader of Camp Jupiter."

"Is he open to reason?"

"Wow, Clarisse the bruiser wants to negotiate."

She slugged me.

"Anyway, he's not. Octavian only wants power and fame. That's why we're fighting."

"Luke, you're not mad about what I said?"

I shook my head. "I'm not mad. I just don't know what to do. I mean, are we even friends? Were we even friends."

"Yes, we were friends a long time ago, and we sill are now. I don't forgive you for the war, but we're friends."

I suppose that's the best thing I could expect from now on. Maybe, I did have a better future in Rome because no one knew me. I started to chew my nails again.

It was quiet for the most part. The younger boys talked amongst themselves while the rest of us planned the takedown of the Romans. Reyna was obviously the better strategist out of all of us, but I knew a lot more about the ins and outs of the camp. That left us at odds with each other.

At one point, I had to stop a fight between Drew and Katie. That was almost dangerous. The rest of the time we just yelled at each other. Fun, right?

I sent two kids down to the basement to get some pop and snacks. They came up with all the off-brand stuff like Cheese-O's, Red Pop, Lemon-Lime Twist, and Jay's Potato Chips. So, we were all thinking on empty stomachs.

Gods, I couldn't wait several hours. Every moment we waited, the closer we were to being captured. Apart from that, I was jacked up on adrenaline, but you probably knew that. I'm almost never calm.

Clarisse said, loud enough that it startled everyone, "How long till the Hunters attack?"

"I don't know, Clarisse. They'll tell us when. As for now, we keep waiting."

I got up from my seat and went to the bathroom, making sure to lock the door. The last thing I wanted was someone barging in. I undid my zipper and started to relieve myself. I looked out the window. I could have sworn that I saw something scintillating off in the distance. It had to be the Argo II.

I redid my pants and wash my hands before heading out. "Guys, look alive," I shouted. "It's almost time."

Reyna slid down the banister from upstairs. "You saw the ship, too."

"Mm hm."

Clarisse barked out order for everyone to group up. Reyna, Coach, and I stayed together. We'd be the third group to attack. Once we were outside. I could see that something was terribly. wrong. The fighting in the strawberry fields had stopped.

The war between the Greeks and Romans was over, not because we had made peace, but because our fight was trivial compared to what we were all facing now. Gaea stood in the middle of the amphitheater. She was almost twenty feet tall and looked like…well, the earth. Her hair was a mess of roots and her skin was as white as quarts. She was terrifying.

The only thing that snapped us out of the shock was the sight of the Argo II hurdling towards Gaea. I didn't know what the hell those guys were doing, but it was suicide. The whole ship burst upon impact and Gaea fell to the ground, sending shocks through the ground.

Reyna grasped my arm. "Are they all dead?"

I didn't respond. I was too shocked myself. I just kept looking up at the fiery wreckage. There was nothing I could have said to make the situation any better.

Then, there was an awful sound of tearing metal. Beckendorf's dragon ripped out of the wreckage with Leo on its back. Jason flew up in a storm, and then the rest of the crew scrambled out.

I shook myself mentally and ordered everyone to keep moving.

When we reached the onagers, there were few guards left. I sort of assumed that they looked like catapults. I was close. The onagers had huge metal frames that were almost twenty feet tall with scaffolding on each one. I figured that we could just lower the buckets before cutting the cable.

The first group snuck through the wreckage to get to the end onager. In a matter of five minutes, the first onager was down. The first group then shuffled two ahead and the second group took the one ahead.

When my group approached the fifth onager, there were only two guards. I teleported behind the one guard and punched him in the face. He fell to the ground with a thud. I looked back. Reyna had already struck down the guard with the green plume.

The two of us began to climb the scaffolding until we were on top. I looked around. I couldn't believe it, the control panel had been left exposed. From up here, I could see Gaea stirring. Leo was blasting Gaea with fire, but it wasn't doing much good to stop her

Seeing smoke billowing around the ravaged camp grounds made me a little sad. When I was under Kronos's control, I wanted to see Camp Half-Blood burn. In reality, I didn't want this at all.

"Luke, watch out!"

I turned around in time to see Michael swing himself from the other side of the frame up onto the scaffolding. That was some serious Spiderman on Broadway business, except that the stunt worked.

I put my sword up in defense, but I didn't attack. "Michael, you know this is crazy. Step down."

"Things don't work so easily."

"The war's over," I shouted and gestured, "Just look out on the fields. No one is fighting. So, trust us when we say this isn't going to work."

"Sorry, Luke. I'm under orders and for the record, we have you guys surrounded. I looked down. The five who were supposed to be standing guard at the base of the onagers were tied up.

Michael slammed into me full force. I staggered back towards the edge and grabbed the railing to avoid falling over. Michael took my moment of vulnerability to jab me where there was a break in my armor.

I grasped my side before slashing at Michael, forcing him to stumble back. My sword slammed into the base of Michael's sword. I thrust downward with my all my weight. Michael struggled to hold onto his sword. The muscles in his arm tensed.

Before I could disarm him, Michael slid his foot into my knee. I stumbled long enough for him to thrust his knee upwards between my legs. I slumped to my knees, unable to move. Michael then had me pinned to the ground. Reyna was held over the edge of the railing by two other guards.

Octavian pathetically climbed up scaffolding and stood at the control panel.

"Oh, come now, Luke. Did you really think that this would be that easy?"

"Sure, why not? You did a crappy job at invading the camp," I spat.

Octavian let out a weird growl before landing a kick to my face. I think he just gave me a black eye.

"Load up!" he shouted.

As the guards brought over the ammo, I saw Michael slide Octavian's cape over the bucket so that it was sandwiched between the two balls of ammunition. I couldn't believe that he did that.

"Wait, Octavian. Stop."

Octavian's face turned crimson.

"You cannot stop progress. The Romans will win. More importantly, we will not let the Greeks take credit for our work."

I always thought Octavian was a jerk, but now, he was more like a madman. The onagers would probably wipe out his own troops too, but that probably wouldn't have mattered to him. He was content with destruction and death.

Michael shot me a look, telling me to stop speaking. This was stupid. Michael could have disobeyed Octavian instead of doing this. The Romans were weird about honor. I didn't understand it, nor would I.

"This is the moment of triumph. Fire," screamed Octavian.

Michael pulled the lever on the control panel. There was loud whine of the cables tensing, then there was a scream, not from the ammunition, but from Octavian. The fireball hurdled towards Gaea and Leo. Since I was being held down, I hadn't seen that he was there. I would have never let them fire if I had known.

I shoved Michael, who had already released his grip, off of me and ran over to the edge. What had once been Gaea was now an explosion. Dust clouds blew all around, choking up everything in their path. We were high up enough that we could still see what was happening.

I forced myself not to cry, despite the failure I felt. Leo and possibly more people died from that fireball. I was supposed to disable the onagers, but I let Michael go through with his own plan.


	16. Chapter 16 - Resolution

**_Chapter 16_**

 ** _I Give Myself Some Advice_**

I took off my helmet and leaned on my sword for support. I was succumbing to the pain. But at least I didn't need to fight. Now that Octavian was dead, Reyna was the automatic leader of Camp Jupiter. The only reason I knew that was because the guards let her go. They let me go too, but not without roughing me up some more.

I looked over at Reyna, who was standing on the edge, calling forth the legion. They filed up the hill and stood in four even lines. I couldn't even get my guys into a circle for capture the flag.

"Everyone! Octavian died nobly to stop Gaea from rising up. Now, we must help the Greeks defeat the monsters that lay siege. I know this war is because of the Greeks, but we must save them."

We did not cause the war. We didn't try to attack the Romans. We didn't try to start a civil war… I did.

"Someday, people will tell of our valiant accomplishments, of how we save the Greeks, despite our ill feelings. Do not let Octavian's sacrifice go in vain."

Telling the Romans Octavian was hero was a smart thing to do, but you wouldn't catch putting Octavian and noble in the same sentence even if I was held at knifepoint. I also didn't like how much Reyna lied about us, the Greeks, being the cause of this whole mess. That must have been a thing of the Romans.

But I put these thoughts out of my mind and limped over to Reyna. Of all the things she'd do, she smiled at me. Not a huge grin or anything like that, but a small, reassuring one.

She shouted, "Fight for your fallen comrades. Fight for Octavian the Shrewd. Fight for Rome!"

The small crowd roared in approval and marched off in their platoons.

"So, we should get down there and—"

"You're going to the med pavilion. You can't even walk on your own."

"But there's not enough—"

"If you can get down the scaffolding, we'll take you to the med pavilion."

"Fine."

I put Backbiter away and began my descent. It hurt to put weight on my foot, so I held myself up with my arms. Reyna didn't notice, luckily.

"Where is the med pavilion anyways?"

"It's off by strawberry fields. It's a temporary one."

"So, this is goodbye?"

"Yes, Luke."

I gave her a nod before departing since it would have been cheesy to kiss her in the middle of the battle. Before I'd run fifteen yards, there was another crash followed by screaming. I just kept running. Couldn't make myself look back. It was too painful.

# # #

I sat up. I was in one of the tents and there was light coming from the opening at the top. It was night and the stars were shining. Outside, I could hear the faint shouting and caterwaul of hellhounds. The battle was definitely not over.

" _Di immortales_ , you scared me."

I looked back down. Thalia was there, still half in armor.

"What's happening?"

She rushed up to me and sat on the cot.

"There was another explosion, killing Gaea."

It took a moment to understand this. If this was true then I wouldn't have to chose between running away and dying without fame and fighting heroically and dying painfully.

Thalia leaned in and hugged me, sobbing into my shoulder. After all these years, I think still did love me.

"Luke, I'd quit the Hunters to be back with you."

"Really? Won't you die if you break your oath?"

"Only if you are past mortal age. I'll age up a couple years, but I won't die."

"So, you're not mad?"

Thalia sighed and hunched over, resting her arms on her knees. "After seeing all the death and people hurt, I realized that I might just hate everyone, not just you. And it's the hero's lifestyle. I can't escape all this destruction if I wanted to because I'm drawn towards it."

I put my arm around her.

"I really want to be happy, as much as anyone else. So, I do forgive you and the others."

I didn't need to ask about the Ophiotaurus. She'd practically told me that she's done with all her hate.

Everything started to feel fuzzy, but not because I was sick or anything like that. I felt good. Actually, I felt great because I was so excited to see Thalia happy.

This time, Thalia kissed me. I fell onto my back and embraced her. The two of us were nearly bawling while we kissed. I don't know how much time passed before I started to think about the fight outside the tent.

"Hey, Thalia, how is everything."

"All right. We're still trying to get the monsters under control, but it's looking well."

"So, I should get back out there?"

"Yes," Thalia said reluctantly, "and so should I."

I smiled the best I could.

"I'll be fine and you'll be fine."

Again, Thalia seized me, pulling me into another kiss.

Just as she really laid into it, I saw the tent flaps move. A hand poked through and parted the flap and then Reyna stepped through. I shoved Thalia off of me and stood up.

"Reyna," I said, the shame showing in my voice.

The excited look on her face turned to blankness.

"Luke, you're better," she said cooly.

I stepped forward when Aurum and Argentum swept through the tent, blocking me from Reyna. They barred their teeth at me just as the first time we met.

"Listen, Reyna," I said urgently, "you have to—"

She put her hand up. "We'll talk later, Luke. This isn't the time. We more people fighting. There's too many casualties."

I knew she wouldn't find any time to talk about this.

"All right, I'll be out in a moment."

I felt shitty. Reyna lost her own family, Jason. She had no one one in this world. Not one person! I was her opportunity to feel less alone and I messed that up. Reyna didn't deserve this, and nor did Thalia. I shouldn't have tried to date Reyna, or I should have let Thalia go—actually, I just hurt everything I touch.

When Reyna left, Thalia stood beside me.

"What do you think she'll do?"

I frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, is it going to affect how she acts."

"Of course not," I said.

Reyna be ruled be emotions? Impossible! I started to put on my armor. It was still bloodstained.

"Luke, that look in her eye, I didn't like it."

"You give people death glares all the time and it means nothing."

Thalia slugged my shoulder.

"That's not what I meant. I just don't feel good about going out right now."

I strapped on my breast plate, covering a thick bandage.

"It'll be fine. We'll win this by morning and then we'll focus on the future."

Thalia picked up her spear and stood by the tent-opening.

"Good luck, Luke. I'll see you out there."

I nodded and watched her walk into the battle. I didn't know where I was headed or whether I was just a tool of the God, but I would fight on the hope that things would be better, that good was truly good.


End file.
